


Not in Job description

by Elenore



Series: A Guardian of the Sky [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-13 15:02:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7980877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenore/pseuds/Elenore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hibari and Mukuro are slowly but surely adjusting to their role as Tsuna's Guardian on their terms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. As a friend, as a family

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings KHR fans,
> 
> This is my first KHR fanfic. To be honest, I didn't plan to write a KHR fanfic because I have no complain about how the manga ended. I would prefer a pairing-less ending than getting some random pairings thrown at my face like Harry Potter, Naruto and recently Bleach that all began their final chapter with "ten years later, they get married and have kids with the one we had seen no romantic moment during the long ride to start off their happily ever after". I don't know if the pairing Hibari x Tsuna is an odd one or Tsuna pairs with any of the guys is odd, but one day as I was roaming around an old forum and tumbled on the doujinshi "Summer Break" by 7menzippo, I was like "hold on, they can actually work, seriously".
> 
> I hope you enjoy the read.

"Tsu-kun is late," Nana looked at the clock worriedly. In her lap, Ipin bowed her head and Lambo was silent for once.

Reborn wore a solemn expression. Tsuna said he would go home straight after school for supper when he left this morning and now dinner was getting cold. That Neo-Primo-in-training was in for an ass-kicking session whenever he showed his face at the front yard. As soon as his murderous plotting took place, the tell-tale of door opening and closing resounded from the entrance way. Nana and the kids immediately ran from the living room to greet the late comer.

Tsuna raised his gaze to look at his family and greeted them with a dull, "I'm back."

And got a kick to his chin that caused him to land backward on his butt.

Instead of the dramatic exclamation as expected, Reborn's eyes flashed and narrowed when Tsuna wordlessly stood up and dusted his pants before turning to his mother with a tired sigh, "I'm sorry, Kaa-san. Please have dinner without me, I don't feel like eating right now."

Before Nana could ask if he was feeling unwell, her son had walked pass her to the direction of his room. She looked worriedly at Tsuna's retreating back, "Tsu-kun…"

"Worry not, Mama," Reborn said beside her, "It's Tsuna. He'll come around on his own."

"I hope you're right," Nana sighed, "This is the first time I see him so down."

* * *

Tsuna turned the other side to face the wall moment before Reborn's black polish shoes shrank heavily on where his head used to be on the pillow. "Go away Reborn."

"You should have known by now that my hobby is to harass you whenever I want," Reborn stated nonchalantly, pulling Tsuna'a earlobe until the younger was facing him, "And look at me when I am talking to you. Where are your manners?"

Tsuna frowned at the baby hitman, swatted the offending hand away and started nursing his abused appendage, "I don't want to deal with you now. Go annoy Lambo or someone else." That said, Tsuna turned his back to his home tutor again.

Brown eyes opened when he felt small hand touched his forehead. Reborn sat between his pillow and the wall, observing him closely.

"What happened, Tsuna?" Reborn tried his father-figure approach.

"It's not something you can help me with," Tsuna mumbled, "Actually you tried, but…" He shook his head dismissively and buried his head in the pillow, talking to himself, "I guess I am just too no-good and wasted your efforts too many times already."

Obsidian eyes narrowed. Reborn made to ruffle Tsuna's messy hair but halted himself, and slugged the middle schooler off his bed instead.

"Ouch!" Tsuna rubbed the lump on his head, tearing at the treatment, "What are you doing Reborn!" He cringed when the door to his room slammed violently, signalized Reborn's leaving.

* * *

"As his Guardians, it is also your job to take care of him, but you got kicked out of his room instead?" Reborn pointed his gun at the Storm and Rain Guardians, almost seriously considered shooting them for their incompetence.

"Ha ha," Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head, forcing a laugh, "He kind of told us he doesn't want to see anyone."

"As his Right-hand man, I can't live with this humiliation of being unable to help Juudaime! I deserve to die!" Gokudera screamed as he kowtowed, hitting his forehead against the floor repeatedly before Reborn.

"Um… If I may…?" Enma said timidly, fidgeting where he sat at the table when all eyes turned to him.

Reborn raised an eyebrow at the Simon boss, "You know something."

"Actually Tsuna-kun asked me to keep this a secret but with this situation I don't think it's wise to do so…" Enma started uneasily.

"Whaaaaat?! How come he told you some secrets that he can't even tell me, his Right-hand man!" Gokudera pulled at his hair and howled in despair, "I'M SO SORRY JUUDAIME! I HAVE FAILED YOU AS YOUR RIGHT-HAND MAN!"

Enma ducked his head, adding under his breath, "He was worried about what you would do if he told you…"

"JUUDAIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Maa maa, I'm sure Tsuna has his reason." Yamamoto said good naturally.

"I EXTREMELY have no idea what is going on!" Ryohei shouted at no one in particular.

"But I was with Kyoko-chan during lunch break and we didn't see Boss at all." Chrome told Enma.

"That's strange," Enma folded his arms on the tabletop thoughtfully, "I am pretty sure he went looking for her. And when he came back he looked upset."

Reborn glanced at the disappearing indigo mist from the corner of his eyes before setting his ever observant gaze back to the rest of the Vongola Guardians. He blinked. Hm? Maybe not "the rest", since a certain one was absent.

He stealthily left the noisy living room and headed out of the Sawada household. Fortunately enough the Chiavarone was around for a brief sightseeing so maybe he wasn't going to need the more expensive bait to catch a carnivore's interest.

* * *

"Kufufu, showing your back to an enemy? You are full of openings, Vongola."

Tsuna didn't do so much as a flinch at the menacing dark voice, too used to his Mist Guardian's antic after all these bizarre time. "It sucks to be you, for going to possess someone so useless like me to destroy the mafia..."

One eyebrow twitched. _Oya…?_

Not expecting Mukuro to make any comment, Tsuna droned on, "Poor Chrome having to put up with someone so useless like me. You should take her back before I become even more useless and let something happen to her because I'm just too useless to do anything. Even I am wondering why Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto are hanging around a useless—"

"Shut up now, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Mukuro hissed, sank his trident by the brunet head where it was in Tsuna's line of view, "I don't remember ever associating myself with someone useless, neither am I fighting alongside someone useless, and most of all, I will never entrust Chrome to someone useless. So whatever useless phase of puberty you are in right now, get over it."

Tsuna stared blankly at the sharp edges of the offending weapon, and glanced at Mukuro, who was hovering over him on his bed. Their position could cause a fuss but he was currently not in the right mind to bother. "You only say that because of Chrome."

"She is worried." Mukuro told him, neither confirmed nor denied his statement.

"All I do is making everyone worry for someone usele—"

"Finish that word and this time I won't miss your head, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Mukuro threatened.

"Isn't that kind of messing up your plan if I am to die now?"

"So you are not entirely hopeless if you still remember your worth." Mukuro situated himself to sit on the edge of the bed, his back to Tsuna. "Someone who has come so far like you can never be useless. I don't care whoever put that idea in your brain, their ignorant opinions about you are of little concern to me."

"That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Tsuna chuckled to himself.

"Consider it's the payment for taking care of Chrome."

Tsuna's expression immediately turned sour. He turned his head away from his male Mist Guardian, "Of course, you only say it for Chrome's sake."

 _Is he an idiot?_ Heterochromia eyes narrowed.

"Mukuro-sama, you are an idiot." Chrome told him as soon as he closed the door to Tsuna's room. Mukuro promptly turned into stone where he stood.

"Come on Kyouya, it's your turn!" Dino urged a little too eagerly, _So I can run back to Italy before you come after my ass! Reborn, you bummer!_

Hibari glanced at the silent tiny carnivore standing beside him, "Remember our deal, Baby."

"Sure thing. You can fight Dino to your heart content after we know what happen to Tsuna."

"That's unfair, Reborn! He will kill me!" Dino screeched.

Reborn pointed Leon, who had turned into a gun, at the Chiavarone boss, "Shut up, you said you would do anything, even die for your lil bro, right? Now prepare to die for him."

"That's too sudden!"

Chrome tapped the end of her trident to the floor. White smoke surrounded Dino and vanished with him. "Please be quiet outside Boss's room," She said with a disapproving frown.

"Wao." Hibari smirked.

"Kufufu, my cute Chrome is getting bold." Muruko said, stood leaning on the opposite wall. His attention returned to Tsuna's room when Hibari closed the door after entering. He crossed his arms thoughtfully, "I don't like this."

Chrome looked at him in puzzlement, "Mukuro-sama?"

"Someone obviously said something to him. But Sawada Tsunayoshi is no longer the same boy as when I first met him to let petty words get to him like this."

"The Simon boss told me he went to confess to Sasagawa Kyoko at lunch. But I had been with her and he never showed up." Chrome informed him, "Kozato Enma had left with his family members before the Cloud-person came. He told me he would call back to check up on Boss."

"I don't get him. He can give the most embarrassing speech while overpowering his foes then he is up and upset over some nobody's words that hardly matter at all." Mukuro grunted, shaking his head at the ridiculous situation.

"He still has a long way to go." Reborned stated, turning to Mukuro, "I am surprised you are here."

"Most likely the same reason as him." Mukuro laughed mysteriously to himself.

Reborn blinked. Well, this was unexpected, but not entirely unpredictable. Tsuna did have the ability to gather his friends and especially, his Guardians together whether he purposely called for it or not.

* * *

Hibari was starting to have second thought about this. The bucking horse had made it sound too easy and he was thoroughly tempted by a good fight (something had been terribly missing as of late since the last chapter with Bermuda) to care about placating a mafia-boss-in-training who might have failed to confess his undying love to a long time crush. He didn't even know what love was to begin with, been busy biting rule-breakers to death on daily basis to spare anytime for something else. That Italian herbivore had told him he only needed to come and that was all, because his presence alone could lift the little animal's mood. Heh, Sawada Tsunayoshi didn't even dare to approach him out of fear, were they hoping the little animal would be too terrified at the sight of him to remember himself had been upset over something? Anyway, he came, so he was done here. Besides, he wouldn't know what to do now so might as well walk out before it became more awkward as if standing in the middle of Sawada Tsunayoshi's room and stared at his back was not creepy enough.

As soon as Hibari turned toward the window, he caught sight of the foreign herbivore shaking his blonde head frantically while making the hands cross sign at him, trying to balance himself on the poor tree branch with the carnivorous Baby on his head. Perching on a branch other side was the male pineapple herbivore mouthing something dreadfully like 'say something to him' while twirling a Sakura branch in between his index and middle fingers with that irritating smile of his; his female version sat next to him, staring blankly at Hibari, clutching her trident to her chest.

Hibari visibly flinched.

"Hibari-san?" A small voice said from behind, followed by a rustling noise that told him the little animal was sitting up.

Hibari said nothing, hopefully the boy would give up talking to him and just send him off like the herbivorous horde too since his escape route was blocked by the blackmails on the other side of the window.

"Hibari-san, why are you here?" Tsuna asked curiously. Realizing he must be sounded like he didn't want the other here at all, he hastily added, "I mean, um, there are many people down there right? And you hate crowding…"

Hibari was about to tell the little animal that a certain blond herbivore came to his school and dragged him to the house when he saw the male pineapple snapped his fingers, the tree they were sitting became a Sakura tree. The female was holding up a Sakura crown and still staring blankly at him.

When this was over someone was going to die.

Preferably the blond herbivore who was waving a white board written "CHEER HIM UP! BE NICE TO HIM!" in bold and red as the tiny carnivore was feeding his Hibird. That traitorous feather herbivore was in for a long lecture later too, for letting himself get kidnapped in the first place.

Hibari sighed in resignation and turned around.

Tsuna nearly jumped backward in startle when he was suddenly face to face with his Cloud Guardian. It was easier to talk to Hibari's back than looking at his face while trying not to stutter and made himself look more of an idiot than he usually was. "Hibari-san, err, I, uh…" The smaller boy fumbled over his words.

Hibari blinked, no ear-splitting shriek in fright and then covering his head screaming something remotely along the line of "Please don't bite me to death"?

"Um, Hibari-san…?" Tsuna tried again after Hibari made no attempt to do anything other than giving him his familiar penetrating stare, "Would you… like to sit…?" The brunet offered, scooting a little closer to the head of his bed, leaving a spacious area in the center for Hibari.

Hibari wordlessly came over and sat on the edge a little away from the little animal if only to give him more personal bubble. He couldn't help comparing Tsuna to a kitten, small and skittish, and would show the not-so-tiny claws hid under his paws when feeling threatened enough.

"It's been a while since I saw Hibari-san even when we are at the same school," Tsuna started, "Because nothing bad happens. I mean, it feels like I can only see Hibari-san when there is something… um, it's not that I want something to happen, what I want to say is… um… I… Hiba—"

"You are rambling," Hibari cut him off.

Tsuna laughed uneasily, unable to meet Hibari in the eyes. He folded his legs up, circling his arms around them and propped his chin on his knees, "I guess I only miss Hibari-san…"

What was he supposed to say to that? Hibari inwardly panic. He looked outside the window—bad move. The stupid blond herbivore still held up his board, this time it wrote, "SAY: I MISS YOU TOO!" The pineapple herbivore was obviously cackling at his expense and finding the situation too interesting to not keep peeping on him. The female herbivore was putting a Sakura crown on Hibird, and that still traitorous feather herbivore had the gall to obediently let her do it to him. The Baby had already set up a tea table for himself on another tree branch. He was going to bite them all to death!

"Why are you shutting out the other herbivores." His question didn't sound like one but Hibari had lost too much of his patience to pay any attention to it. It was fortunate that his voice still sounded neutral.

Tsuna slowly hid his face in his knees and heaved a long sigh.

This was the sign he had been dismissed, right?

"Hibari-san…"

Or not...

"Do you think I'm no-good?"

Hibari stilled. Of all thing, the little animal asked him that question? But it left him speechless all the same despite he seldom got speechless over anything aside from that time the blond herbivore was introduced as his home tutor. He already knew the whole Nami-chuu minus the herbivorous squad called this little animal Dame-Tsuna. "True that your scores leave nothing to be proud of, or how you often trip over nothing, but," Hibari leaned backward on his hands, looking at the ceiling, "You overcame many opponents stronger than you. Even though you are weak, you have gathered friends who will not think twice in lending you their strength and trust you with their lives. When you have your moments like this, people crowding around you because they are worried about you. Why a brand name matters at all if those who gave them to you are not one bit knowing the true you."

Tsuna looked up at his Cloud Guardian in wonder, "Hibari-san…"

"My future-self trained you, right?" Hibari continued, briefly glancing at Tsuna from the corner of his eyes, "I wouldn't waste my time if I know it was useless."

"I didn't get the chance to properly thank him…" Tsuna smiled a little.

"Better?" Hibari asked after a while.

Tsuna nodded timidly, he opened his mouth to say something but biting his bottom lip second later.

"What is it?" Hibari couldn't help feeling like he was walking on landmines all of a sudden, as if he was forgetting something…

"Hibari-san…" Tsuna hid the lower half of his face under a pillow which he was clutching to his chest like his life depended on it, "Do you think I'm… like a girl?"

A faraway thud from outside the window as a result of Dino fell off his branch.

Hibari, after getting over his initial surprise and speechlessness the second time of that day, managed a "What?"

"Some guys overheard I practiced confessing to Kyoko-chan today and… they told me I sound like a girl because my voice does not even start breaking yet… and my cheeks are still chubby like a kid… a—and…!" Tsuna sniffled and buried his face in the pillow, the nonsense he spilled after that was unable to decode.

"Puberty is only a phase. You will eventually get to it." Hibari said carefully.

Tsuna immediately raised his head and looked at Hibari with shimmering eyes, "But Hibari-san, your voice has already been low-pitch since the first time I saw you. Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto's too, Nii-san too, and even Mukuro too! But my voice is…!" Tsuna made a strangle noise and buried his face in the pillow again.

Had anyone outside any idea about how to pacify an adolescent herbivorous mafia boss-in-training in distress about his less-than-favorable manliness?

Mukuro shook his head and shrugged, doubting the young Vongola would prefer to be bound into a chair while scientists pondering what they would like to inject in him first. Reborn most likely was too interested in hunting his preys that he didn't even notice his puberty had come and gone. Dino still tried climbing up the tree and somehow got miraculously tangled in his whip which had been tucked in his belt.

Maybe it was best if he said nothing at all and hopefully the little animal would get over it on his own.

"Is it why Kyoko-chan still does not see me as anyone other than a friend?" Tsuna mumbled, making himself as small as he could.

Apparently saying nothing was making it worse.

"If she was, as you assuming, a person of face value then you should give up on her. Because by that same theory, as soon as she met someone with a better face than you," Hibari turned to look at Tsuna with a smirk, "She would forget you."

"KYOUYA! YOU ARE MAKING IT WORSE!" Dino and his board had returned.

"Kyoko-chan is not like that!" Tsuna shouted at Hibari's face, "She is kind and always takes care of everyone together with Haru and Chrome and Bianchi! Hibari-san, what you said is mean!"

"You seem to think she only cares about how you look instead of who you are earlier though. Between what I said and what you think, which is more offensive to what kind of a person Sasagawa Kyoko is?" Hibari antagonized.

"I didn't mean it like that! I just…" Tsuna trailed off, his shoulders dropped.

"Listen to someone who actually know you because they care instead of believing in the rotten herbivores that walked away after knowing they had hurt you just for the fun of it."

"Gokudera-kun and the others would always try to make me feel better, even I know I am hopeless," Tsuna sighed dejectedly, "I wish I can be like Hibari-san, confident and cool and strong, not to mention you are drop-dead gorgeous."

Hibari was speechless for the third time that day as his mental system rebooted itself after getting forcibly shut down for several seconds. "I…" He cleared his throat, which suddenly felt too raw.

Tsuna observed his Cloud Guardian curiously until his eyes widened in realization, immediately brought a bright smile on his face. Who could have thought the Hibari-san would get embarrassed too! "Hibari-san, don't you know you have a very big fanclub? But because you hate crowd so they don't dare to get close to you." Tsuna chuckled at the almost horrified expression crossed Hibari's face as his Cloud Guardian turned pale.

Hibari grunted, looking at the floor until Tsuna tugged the end of his sleeve to get his attention.

"Thank you, Hibari-san, for being there for me and the others, and helping us," Tsuna said with a grateful smile, "And… if it's possible, would you like to… um, could you, could we hang around more often? Because… you know, you are also an important person to me not because you keep one of the Vongola Rings but, as a friend?"

* * *

"Aaaaaarrrgggg! I can believe you, Kyouya!" Dino groaned noisily, pointing a finger at the nonchalant Hibari, "You could have told him something, like "Yes I'd love to because I'm your Cloud Guardian!" but noooo! You left saying nothing!"

"I've done my end of the deal, Baby," Hibari told Reborn, pulling out his trusty pair of tonfas.

"Double shit!" Dino turned around and tripped on his whip, which had been tucked in the front pocket of his long trench coat.

"Thanks for the good work and have fun, Hibari," Reborn said and started sipping his refilled tea.

Several violent minutes later when Dino and Hibari were out of sight.

"Kufufu, that has been much easier than I thought," Mukuro remarked, helping himself to the homemade chocolate freshly made by Chrome and Nana.

"You seem to be expecting something else," Reborn watched the Mist Guardian closely, couldn't help feeling like he had overlooked something along the way.

"Oya, what are you talking about," Mukuro smiled less than friendly but not too hostilely, "I merely want to make sure Sawada Tsunayoshi will be brought up as the proper Vongola boss who is going to become my puppet when I start destroying the Mafia." Mist surrounded Mukuro as he was disappearing, "Raise him well, Arcobaleno."

"You are not honest at all." Reborn smirked darkly, _Unlike your eyes_.

"I think Mukuro-sama is worried about Boss too," Chrome said, snatching Gokudera's share of chocolate truffle to give Lambo under the table as the obvious Storm Guardian was yelling at the top of his lungs, shaking Ryohei's neck demand him return his stolen truffles while Yamamoto was trying to break them up before they destroyed another door.

Tsuna saw Hibari leaving the house as he sat on the rooftop. When he was about to call his Cloud Guardian, Hibari stopped and looked over his shoulder at Tsuna before he continued walking off.

"Did something good happen?" Reborn asked as soon as Tsuna dazedly sat down beside him, all the while ignored the commotion his three male Guardians had caused and the broken wall as well as what left of a door behind them.

"Something good?" Tsuna repeated, didn't appear to register the question.

"You are grinning rather creepily." Reborn stated.

Tsuna patted his cheeks, feeling the stretch of his mouth as proof of Reborn's claim and nodded to himself, "Mm, I guess I am," He sighed dreamily.

Onyx eyes flashed.

SMACK!

"Ow! Reborn! What was that for?!" Tsuna yelped, rubbing his swollen cheek.

The harisen turned back to Leon, the shapeshifting chameleon then crawled around Reborn's fedora and stared unblinkingly at Tsuna.

"You look like an idiot," Reborn told him, nibbling on his chocolate, "Stop swooning over Hibari and eat dinner."

"Eh?!" Tsuna looked at Reborn in confusion, "Dinner?"

"You think they can happily enjoy dinner without you after you've made everyone worry about your idiotic self?" Reborn demanded, whacked Tsuna upside the head with his oversize Leon-hammer, "They are your family, not strangers, Tsuna."

"Reborn…" Tsuna ducked his head, both in shame and embarrassment.

"I hope everything is alright with Tsu-kun," Nana settled the reheated dinner on the table before Tsuna, "Let's have dinner now," She looked around in search for something or someone, "Where are Mu-chan and Kyou-chan and Dino-kun? Mou! I told them they must stay for dinner!"

Tsuna blanched. Mu-chan? Kyou-chan? "Kaa-san…" Tsuna called hesitantly, "Are you by chance talking about Mukuro and Hibari-san?"

"Hm?" Nana stopped humming as she was preparing the table to look at her mortified son, "Who else?" Then she turned to the silent girl, "Nagi-chan, would you please get Lambo-chan and Ipin-chan for me?" To the three who were still fighting over the lost snack, she said, "Haya-chan, Takeshi-kun, Ryohei-kun, dinner is ready!"

"Yes, Mama," Chrome nodded and left to do as she was told.

 _What happened behind my back?!_ Tsuna shrieked in his head, staring wide-eyes at Reborn who only gave him a knowing smirk that no way answered his silent question.

But as Tsuna looked at everyone's content expression, that didn't matter anymore. He clasped his hands, happily echoing "Itadakimasu" with his family.

* * *

**Omake**

"So, Tsuna, have you decided on who you are going to marry?" Reborn asked airily as if he was making comments about the weather, "Hibari, perhaps? Or Mukuro?"

Tsuna promptly choked on the rice which came down the wrong pipe, he shrieked, "What the hell, Reborn?! Hiii—!"

Reborn pointed his gun at Tsuna's forehead, "Go propose with your dying will!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not entirely happy with my bad writing ability for this chapter, somehow it sounds very forced beside a lot of grammatical errors and misspellings. I am very bad at English and still learning, so if you spot any mistake please feel free to correct me.
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Asuka K.


	2. As a silent protector, as an invisible shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, thank you very much, everyone, for your kudos and bookmarks of this story. I was nervous from the time I posted the first chapter, wondering if there will be anyone bother reading it. Your supports make me happy to continue!
> 
> I'm having a war with myself about putting Japanese words in a story written in English, but I can't find the right English equivalent of the word, like "Mou!" of Tsuna's mother and sometimes Tsuna himself and the girls used it to express their frustration about something. The word itself has no meaning to it, like you exclaimed "AH!" when seeing a cockroach flew by. I've considered "Geez" for "Mou" but it is still not right, like you compare the action "pursed lips" with "pout" or "puff cheeks" (often after one said "Mou!" in manga/anime/game, not all but depends on the situation though). Same but not really same. And Hibird is a really smart bird, besides his cuteness.
> 
> So... before I came to the final decision, I want to say an early apology for my incompetence for using the Japanese words where I needed to put it due to the character traits from the manga/anime. I will tone it down to the best of my ability and I hope you will bear with me on this one. (Since I also find it awkward to encounter random Japanese words in an English written story while others think it's cute, I'll leave it to readers' personal preference and comment nothing about this one.)
> 
> And lastly, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

"Tsuna!"

The brunet jumped at the sound of his name, he immediately turned around and ran toward the culprit, glomped Dino viciously to cover his loud mouth, ignored Dino's protest. He jumped again when the familiar footsteps of his Cloud Guardian was getting closer (of course it could only be Hibari because school hour had ended already!) Tsuna looked at his surroundings frantically and spotted the Chemical Lab. He dove for it without second thought, didn't realize he was manhandling Dino with him.

Tsuna pressed his back against the door, holding his breath and tensely waited until his aloof guardian walked pass the room where he was hiding, dared he exhale in relief. He blinked and let out a squeak when he looked down at his hands still covering Dino's mouth, who looked close to lose his consciousness and started turning blue. Tsuna released the blond and shook him, "Dino-san! Dino-san!" He called worriedly.

"Oh, Mama, Papa…!" Dino slurred with a stupid grin, sluggishly clinging to Tsuna.

"No, no, Dino-san! It's Tsuna!" Tsuna got panic and patted Dino's cheeks hoping to wake him, "Get a hang of yourself, Dino-san!"

Out of nowhere, Reborn landed heavily on Dino's stomach, almost caused his eyes to pop out of their sockets from the impact. Not waiting for his ex-pupil to make a sound, he jumped forward and somersault kicked Dino in his chin, successfully threw the blond off Tsuna's lap, claiming the place for himself after flipping once in the air to release his momentum.

"Reborn!" Tsuna exclaimed, but remember where he was, he covered his mouth instantly.

"If you keep stalking Hibari any longer, you're going to be late for dinner again." Reborn told Tsuna, pointing his gun at his student's forehead, "Go do it with your Dyin—!"

"Wait, Reborn!" Tsuna quickly shook his head and pushed the small hand holding weapon away, "I… I want to do it myself!"

Reborn frowned impatiently, "You are taking too long."

"I can't always rely on the bullet to do everything!"

"Do what?" Dino asked, reminded the other two of his presence as he rubbed his jaw, halfheartedly glaring at Reborn for the rough treatment.

"Um… you see… Kaa-san wants to have a weekend get together in thanks for everyone has been helping me, it's like an outdoor party for close friends…?" Tsuna replied, looking at Reborn in confusion, "Kaa-san told me you said you would inform Dino-san?"

"Huh? I didn't hear anything from him all day!" Dino shouted, pointing his finger at his ex-tutor. And promptly got it twisted backward by said ex-tutor. "YEEEOOOOOOWWWW!"

"Don't you dare pointing anything at me." Reborn warned, "I didn't see you at the hotel so I left the invitation with your subordinate. Romario is his name."

"Ah, I see," Said Tsuna, "Ow—ow—OOOWW!" He shrieked in pain.

Reborn pulled Tsuna's ear harder, "Stop stalling and go do it."

"Tsuna, you are going to invite Kyouya?" Dino asked, looking at the boy in wonder.

Tsuna sobbed, his shoulders trembling in cold dread, "If he doesn't bite me to death first… then after he hears it, he will bite me to death anyway…!" He whined with big fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

 _He most likely gets forced by Reborn, poor Tsuna…_ Dino looked at the younger boy in sympathy. The blond went to sit beside the brunet and patted his slumping shoulder. "Why don't I ask him for you?" _Hopefully I can get him too tired to care what is being asked of him_ , Dino inwardly winced. The numerous black spots from getting hit by those two tonfas last week still not faded completely yet… Lucky for him Romario had a very good timing or he might end up worse than half-dead by the time the rest of his subordinates and the Disciplinary Committee members started crowding them.

"Really? You will?" Tsuna perked up hopefully.

"Yup! As your big bro, I'll do anything for you! Besides, Kyouya can't bite me to the next ten years! Hahaha!" Dino laughed smugly.

"Dino-san…" Tsuna gave a relief smile but it abruptly dropped, "Um, where are your subordinates…?"

"I left them at the hotel because it'll cause a commotion if there are men-in-black coming to school." The blond grinned obliviously.

Tsuna tapped his temple against the door in despair, mumbled to himself, "Oh Gods, he's going to be bitten to death by Hibari-san…" He glanced down at Reborn, who had been silently watching him all the time, "But this is my problem, isn't it? So I should do it myself…"

"Hn," Reborn smirked satisfactorily.

"Who's there?" A familiar menacing voice asked from the other side of the closed door.

Eyes widened in horror, Tsuna squeaked, "Hiiiii! Hibari-sa—!" Before he finished, all in a flash practically impossible of human eyes to see, Reborn opened the door, kicked the bewildered Dino at the unsuspecting Hibari, punched Tsuna out of the windows breaking the glass in the process and followed after him.

Dino's eyes twitched several times. Like a cliché manga moment, Reborn's assault had slanted his mouth right into Kyouya's, of all people. He had never thought about it, but kissing Kyouya was not bad, actually it felt surprisingly pleas—The familiar front end of a tonfa nearly broke his jaw when the painful contact brought him back to the real situation he was in, a Vongola Cloud Guardian in his most dangerous blood thirsty mode.

Hibari stared down at the hunching form of the Mafia boss before him, sliver eyes narrowed to slits, sharp and unforgiving, "School ground trespassing, damage public property, sexual harassment…" Front bang slowly fell over his eyes, his shoulders trembled in barely contained rage.

Dino shook his head frantically and inched backward to put more distance between his life and the furious carnivore. This was bad, no, way passed bad, this was extremely the worst! "Kyouya! That was an accident! Reborn did—" He got all the more alarmed when Hibari advanced toward him, didn't appear to pay his words any heed, "Listen to me Kyouya! I can explain!"

"I'll bite you to death!"

Tsuna looked over his shoulder when an inhuman scream reached his ears. Narrow orange eyes widen, "Dino-san!" He made to turn around.

"Don't worry about him, Tsuna. Dino won't die." Reborn smirked sinisterly on Tsuna's back, _Hibari won't just murder him too fast_.

Tsuna silently regarded his home tutor. Reborn never stopped scheming in that baby appearance of his, but what could he be plotting this time? He was shot with a Hyper Dying Will Bullet when he fell down from the school lab, which was in the third floor and made to fly them both home as soon as Reborn landed on his back. Knowing this spartan hitman, wasn't leaving him face Hibari alone instead of Dino would be more fitting to Reborn's sadistic sense of humor?

"Well, if he dies now will also be fine. The Chiavarone Family certainly doesn't need a useless boss to lead them. Though finding a replacement may take some time since Dino hasn't married yet." Reborn commented offhandedly.

"Won't it look bad to the Vongola Family if one of its Guardians is responsible for the death of an ally Family's Boss?" Tsuna questioned monotonously.

"Since when do you start worrying about what happens to the Vongola? Feel like becoming the Boss you are now?" Reborn asked, onyx eyes shadowed by his fedora.

"I…" Tsuna looked down at the city below him and closed his eyes, then he looked ahead with determination, "Won't become a Vongola Boss."

"Hn," Reborn smirked, "I know you won't. That's why you will become Neo Primo."

Tsuna frowned, "There is no difference between Vongola Decimo and Neo Primo."

"Of course, they are both you."

"I told you I won't become a Vongola Boss."

"Really?" Reborn pressed.

Bright orange eyes narrowed more, "Reborn, what are you—"

"Do you really not want to become Neo Primo? Beside your Vongola Sky Ring, there are six, no, _seven_ other people are holding on to theirs. Gokudera Hayato, Yamamoto Takeshi, Sasagawa Ryohei, Lambo, Chrome Dokuro, Rokudo Mukuro, and," Reborn whispered close to Tsuna's ear, "Hibari Kyouya. Do you really want to give up your Vongola Ring to someone else—"

Tsuna's eyes widened.

"—let that person become their Boss in your place so you can go back to your normal life without a care about Mafia business, without knowing what will happen to them after that?"

A pulse halted Tsuna in the middle of the air.

The flame on his forehead died out until it completely disappeared, and Tsuna fell.

* * *

Chrome looked out of the windows, halting her motion of chopping a carrot.

"Nagi-chan?" Nana called, confused by the girl's sudden stillness.

"Boss…" The knife fell from Chrome's hand, she immediately turned and ran out of the kitchen and out of the house within seconds, leaving the clueless mother behind.

 _Mukuro-sama, Boss is…!_ Chrome said in her mind but stopped herself, remembered she no longer connected to him like before anymore. She closed her eyes desperately and ran faster. _Boss, please be safe!_

"Chrome!"

But the warning call was too late and she barreled into Ryohei.

"Sun-person…!" Chrome looked up at the taller male, who was almost out of breath like her and his expression was grim.

A look at the girl's face Ryohei understood, it was the same reason as to why he had left the dinner table and Kyoko to run around the town, but not to train himself.

"Chrome! Lawn-head!" Gokudera called, running toward them with Yamamoto.

"Octopus-head, Yamamoto!" Ryohei steadied Chrome and turned to the other two.

"Where could he be, we've already checked the school but he obviously left. No one was there!" Yamamoto said through his heavy breathing.

"This is bad. I suddenly have the urge to see him no matter what!" Gokudera bit his thumb impatiently.

"I…!" Chrome started, but her eyes lost light and she fell into a trance. _Chrome_ , Mukuro's voice said in her mind. "Mukuro… -sama…" She whispered faintly, catching the others' attention.

"Chrome? What happened?" Yamamoto shook her shoulders.

"Mukuro… -sama…" She repeated, voice getting smaller.

In her mind eyes, the blurry vision slowly became clear and she saw a figure falling from the sky. _Hurry, my dear Chrome_ , Mukuro urged. She blinked and looked around at the worried faces, "Sun-person, Storm-person, Rain-person…"

"Are you okay now?" Gokudera asked next to Yamamoto, "What did Mukuro say?"

"Mukuro-sama…" Her eyes widened, she looked up at the sky, "Boss!" She yelled, searching frantically, "He's in danger!"

"What? What happened?!" The other three shouted.

"He's falling!" She answered and started running. Not waiting for more explanation, the three boys ran after her.

* * *

_Give up my Vongola Ring to someone else, for other to become their Boss…?_ Tsuna wondered in his mind, eyes closing, mindless to the fact that he was heading toward the ground at a deadly speed.

_"Juudaime!" Gokudera-kun and his unconditional devotion,_

_"Tsuna!" Yamamoto's carefree grin,_

_"Sawada!" Onii-san and his extremes in everything,_

_"Dame-Tsuna!" Lambo, what trouble did he cause this time?_

_"Boss!" Has Chrome gotten used to her new living arrangement?_

_"Vongola." Mukuro…_

_"Little animal." Hibari-san…_

_Kyoko-chan, Haru, Fuuta, Ipin, Bianchi…_

_Give up on everyone, who I've been getting stronger to fight for…?_

The corner of Reborn's mouth curled up at the first flicker of flame on Tsuna's forehead. _That's right, Tsuna, you know it better than anyone else that you didn't get any single one of them for granted, that's why…_

Flame blazing bright on Tsuna's forehead, lit a part of the evening sky as he suspended in the air, staring eye to eye at Reborn who sat cross legged casually on his stomach. "Like hell I am giving up on anyone," He calmly stated.

Reborn's smirk widened, "That's more like it."

Tsuna's eyes narrowed, "You—"

"BOSS/JUUDAIME/TSUNA/SAWADA!"

The familiar shouted all addressing him took his attention away from Reborn. Tsuna looked down at the crossroad in the direction the voices came from. "Chrome, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto, Onii-san…" He whispered to himself.

"It seems the feeling is mutual, Tsuna," Reborn remarked, poking the back of Tsuna's head painfully in reminder but the boy paid it no mind.

"Everyone…" Tsuna smiled, flying toward his waiting Guardians. His flame flickered and died out, and he felled off the sky again. "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?" He shrieked, flailing his limbs hysterically against the gravity.

"Boss!" Chrome screamed in horror.

"Juudaime/Tsuna!" Gokudera and Yamamoto ran toward the falling boy.

"Dying Will Flame Boots!" Ryohei shouted and immediately took to the sky with his gear toward Tsuna and caught the brunet around his stomach.

"Onii-san!" Tsuna breathed out in relief, "I'm saved…"

"Are you EXTREMELY okay, Sawada!" Ryohei asked loudly.

Tsuna smiled gratefully at his Sun Guardian, "Yeah, thanks to you…"

Ryohei blinked, feeling a little awkward, he looked away and scratched his cheek, "No prob—" The Dying Will Flame from the sole of his boots got weaker and disappeared, "—lem—! EXTREMELY—!"

"NOT! WE ARE FALLIIIIIIIIIIIIING!" Tsuna screamed and shut his eyes tightly, unable to look down, not with the ground was getting closer.

Chrome tapped her trident to the ground, a massive vines grew and shot toward the dropping duo, curled itself around both of them.

"Thank gods for Chrome…" Tsuna exhaled, spent and went lax in the hold of the vines.

"Extremely good job, Chrome!" Ryohei gave the girl a thumbs up.

But Chrome was breathing hard and she barely held up her illusion.

"Chrome!" Gokudera caught the girl when she started swaying where she stood.

"I'm… fine…" She said through rag breaths, her visible eye never strayed from the two up there.

 _She won't be able to keep it up for much longer_ , Gokudera looked at Yamamoto from the corner of his eyes, who nodded in silent agreement. "This is good enough, you can release the illusion now. We've got them." The silver hair male assured.

"But…" Chrome protested, biting her bottom lip.

"If you exhausted yourself, your illusion that created your own internal organs might disappear. Juudaime would be devastated if something like that happened to you…" Gokudera looked down, "… again."

"Storm-person…" Chrome whispered. Her eyes widened when an all familiar pain hit her lower abdomen. _Even then, I…_ She tightened her grip on her trident.

"Chrome!" Gokudera and Yamamoto gasped in horror, seeing the girl's stomach slowly hollowed. Then it was fine again.

"Kufufu, what a troublesome girl."

A glove hand covered Chrome's on her trident, another wrapped around the back of her shoulders.

"Mukuro!" Yamamoto and Gokudera breathed out in relief—

"Are you certain you should be looking this way?" Mukuro raised an eyebrow at them.

"Shit!" Gokudera exclaimed and dragged Yamamoto with him toward the screeching Tsuna and Ryohei, now that they were free-falling again with no illusionary vines keeping them in the air.

"Mukuro-sama…" Chrome murmured.

"It's alright now, Chrome. Sawada Tsunayoshi will be fine." Mukuro told her.

They watched as a chain coil around Tsuna's ankle and pulled him toward an army of Cloud Hedgehogs. A figure jumped over them to catch Tsuna like a princess and landed on one of the Rolls around him, kicked Ryohei toward Yamamoto and Gokudera's direction in the process made him barrel right into the two while they ran up to catch him.

"Hiii! Hibari-san!" Tsuna squeaked, petrified in his Cloud Guardian's arms when said Guardian glared down at him intensely.

"What do you think you are doing, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Hibari demanded stoically with an anger undertone.

"I don't care if you want to die young, Vongola, but can you do it in a way that wouldn't leave your body too damaged to be used later? I need it in good condition for you-know-what. Your. Underdeveloped. Body." Mukuro emphasized, sighing long-sufferingly.

"You—! It's not that I want to die! Suddenly my flame disappeared!" Tsuna snapped, shaking in angry embarrassment at his male Mist Guardian's purposely double-meaning comment.

Mukuro frowned.

Hibari's eyes narrowed, "What?"

"Must be because you all are hungry." Reborn said from behind them, "Well, it's way pass dinner time."

As proof of his claim, several upsetting stomachs growled in agreement.

"I think so," The baby hitman continued knowingly.

Gokudera turned to Tsuna smiling brightly, "Juudaime, are you oka—Hibari you bastard! How long are you planning to hug Juudaime like that?!" He shrieked, pointing angrily at the nonchalant Disciplinary Committee Chairman.

Feeling he needed to intervene before Gokudera added something else even more deranged to his already humiliated predicament, Tsuna steeled himself and looked up at his Cloud Guardian, squeaking inwardly when said Guardian had already been staring at him, "Um, Hibari-san… I'm okay. Uh… can you please put me down?"

Hibari blinked once and did as he was requested, his expression unreadable.

"Um… thank you, Hibari-san, Mukuro," He looked around at his Guardians, "And everyone."

"As long as you are safe, Juudaime!" Gokudera puffed his chest proudly.

"Yeah, Tsuna." Yamamoto grinned.

"Yeah, Sawada! This is extremely case closed!" Ryohei announced loudly, pumping his fist in the air.

"You're welcome, Boss," Chrome smiled.

Muruku shrugged uncaringly, "Kufufu, you don't need to thank me. I only came because I sensed Chrome's distress. And before it becomes mine, I don't need any permanent disfigured happen to your underdeveloped bo—"

"Mukuro, you rotten bas—!" Gokudera roared, being held back from jumping the heterochromatic eyes man with his handful of dynamites by Yamamoto and Ryohei.

"Don't say another word," Tsuna cut them off hastily, coloring in mortified. He turned to Hibari who still looked at him strangely, "Um, Hibari-san…?"

Hibari blinked at the sound of his name, he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, "I was in the middle of disposing that garbage over there."

There was a bloody lump that looked scarily like a Chiavarone Tenth Boss, who was very thoroughly bitten to death.

Tsuna grabbed his head, screaming in dismay, "DINO-SAN!"

* * *

"Hibari! Hibari!" Hibird chirped, perched on his shoulder, tilted his head and stared at him curiously as he sat on the windowsill of the Reception Room looking outside. Hibari opened his hand with a new batch of breadcrumb, in which the tiny yellow bird immediately landed to eat.

"You are snacking too much lately," Hibari told his pet bird, "Don't blame me if you get fat in no time."

Hibird perked up and tilted his head, then flapped his wing. "Fat! Fat! Hibari! Fat! Hibari!" He chirped.

Hibari closed his eyes and sighed, "Not me, you are."

"Mi~dori tanabiku~ Namimori~ no~"

"Don't change the subject."

"Kamikorosu~!"

"Wao, what nerve you have for a little animal." Hibari chuckled to himself and looked at the clear morning sky, he sighed, "… Little animal."

_Last night…_

_"You know, Tsuna has been working up his nerves to invite you to this weekend's party at his house… as a thank you for everyone has been helping him." Dino said beneath him as he sat on the foreigner's back, idly wiped off the blood and dirt on his tonfas._

_"I don't do crowding." Hibari stated._

_"I know you're going to say that," Dino chuckled but hissing right away when the action jolted his injured jaw. "You seriously need to learn when to hold back and listen when people talk to you!" The blond complained._

_"I believe in what my eyes see," Hibari hissed, slammed one end of his tonfa on the marble floor near Dino's head, who turned pale at the literally earth-breaking impact right in front of his eyes, "Since you can still talk, does it mean you are ready for round two?" The Vongola Cloud Guardian smirked sadistically._

When he was about to deliver the finishing blow, he felt a strong pulse shook his entire body and before he knew it, he was dragging that half-dead Italian herbivore and jumped out of the windows in his Vongola Gear… At the time, he only knew one thing, that he had to see a certain little animal. So much. It burned.

_"To begin with, even if I have a reason to kill Sawada Tsunayoshi, there is no reason why I should let him live."_

Silver eyes narrowed. He couldn't stand it. The memories of the man that was him ten years into the future. Hibari looked at his wrist where the Cloud Bracelet was shining under daylight. _That future was…_ His gaze shifted to a dark corner of the room. "What do you want."

Hibird flew off to somewhere outside, his singing of the school anthem was the only sign for Hibari to know his pet bird was still near.

"Kufufu," The familiar laughter resounded before a shadow stepped out of the dark mist, "You are too immersed in the past."

Hibari didn't like the sound of it, his eyes narrowed more, "The past?"

Mukuro walked over to the window and looked outside next to Hibari. "Human likes naming things for their convenience, to the point of being unable to realize they only make it become more complicate than it's worth."

"Hn," Hibari grunted, but he said nothing.

"While in fact it is more simple that what you had experienced with your present self is the past no matter what time you are in, even if someone told you that was the future." Mukuro closed his eyes at his pause, "We will not experience that kind of future again, not in ten years from now, and not even in ten years from then on. Because it had become the past."

"Somethings are better left unknown."

"Why?" Mukuro asked, glanced at the other male from the corner of his eyes, "What are you afraid of, Hibari Kyouya?"

Silver eyes widened and narrowed. "There is—!"

"Nothing?" Mukuro cut him off with his irritating laugh, halting a tonfa strike with the shaft of his trident, "Kufufu, even after receiving _his_ battle knowledge and being adept in using your own weapons, you are certainly lacking _his_ ten years' practice of patience, experience and the inability in bringing out the level of power _he_ possessed."

Hibari clicked his tongue in agitation. He thrust his tonfa forward with full intention to land a hit in Mukuro's face but only destroyed the wall instead.

Mukuro patted Hibari's shoulder and whispered in his ears from behind, "I was kind of unable to refuse Chrome when she asked me to join in that merry party, how about you?" He jumped backward to avoid the swinging tonfa swiped pass his chin in the nick of time. "Your silence only gives him unnecessary hope until you crush that pitiful little hope by telling him 'no', _drop-dead gorgeous Hibari-san_ ," Mukuro teased, dodging the chain aiming his neck.

"There is nothing changed even in ten years later. The sight of you makes me sick." Hibari hissed, "Cambio Forma—"

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to keep you company for much longer," Mukuro straightened up, a hand on his hip and tilted his head, his trident already disappeared.

Hibari lowered his tonfas, still glaring at the heterochromatic eyes male.

"Oya?" Mukuro feigned a smile, "It seems I will need to take back some of what I said earlier, your patience is getting pleasingly fat."

A tonfa flew through his disappearing face and lodged itself in the wall.

"The rest is up to you," Mukuro's voice echoed within the four walls, "How will you tell him no without hurting his feeling, Hibari Kyouya."

"What are you—!" Hibari stopped himself and focused his gaze toward the door, where he sensed the presence of someone standing on the other side.

"Hibari! Hibari!" Hibird flew in and nestled on Hibari's head, "Little animal! Little animal!"

Hibari's eyes widened, he gritted his teeth in anger. _That damnable pineapple herbivore!_ He seethed inwardly, stood tensely for several seconds glaring at the silhouette of the figure behind the door.

After another silent half hour of motionless on both parties, Hibari blinked. What was Sawada Tsunayoshi up to? Standing outside this whole time doing nothing… If he was lucky enough that little animal would just give up and left, so he didn't have to stand here raking his brain to say the obvious. He hated crowd!

* * *

Tsuna wringed his hands, he had been a nervous wreck since the moment he stood in front of the Reception Room. He tried to listen to see if there was anyone inside but the silence only intensified his fear of the inevitable encounter with his Cloud Guardian, whose bloodthirsty aura covered the entire school ground on this sunny Saturday morning.

 _What a nice day to be bitten to death…_ Tsuna sobbed inwardly.

A little away from where Tsuna stood, several pairs of watchful eyes looked at him encouragingly.

"You can do it, Juudaime! If that ungrateful bastard dares to refuse your generosity, I, as your Right-hand man," Gokudera pulled out his dynamites, "Will blow this school into bits!"

"Haha, that's not nice, Gokudera!" Yamamoto laughed, thinking the silver hair male was obviously joking.

"Yamamoto is extremely right! Even if Hibari extremely refuses to come, we all can try persuading him to the extreme until he relents! There is no need to extremely destroy our school!" Ryohei declared loudly.

"Boss, do your best." Chrome whispered.

"Uhng uwa! Ey ih kwe aweng ik uga ihin kwikiunph!" A mummy said.

"I extremely don't understand you!" Ryohei declared, looking between the squirming mummy and the shaking head Romario.

"Ignore him!" Gokudera sniffed, "Not only did he fail to get Hibari to the party, he even got himself beaten to a pulp! Now Juudaime has to bother himself asking that bastard!"

"Mukuro-sama said he has no interest in the Chiavarone Boss's body so he won't help making the wounds disappear or temporary supporting the broken ribs." Chrome told Yamamoto when the later looked at her in askance.

"And Shamal doesn't treat male." Reborn popped out from the nearby fire-extinguisher box, cosplayed himself as a firefighter, "Ryohei can only fix him to a certain degree so he doesn't have to be admitted to the hospital."

"The Vongola Cloud Guardian is too dangerous on his own device, Reborn-sama, at this rate…" Romario sighed heavily, looking at his Boss's humiliated form in concern.

"Hibari is one of Tsuna's Guardians. What to do with him is entirely up to Tsuna." Reborn deadpanned.

 _But the Vongola Decimo is unable to control his own Guardians…_ Romario frowned unhappily. He looked up when someone tapped his shoulder, meeting his Boss's gaze. He closed his eyes and smiled in resignation. _I can only hope you won't get hurt any more than this, Boss._

Tsuna reopened his eyes determinedly. _Let's do this!_ He raised his hand to knock—

—The door opened almost violently.

 _Hibari-san, please come to my house tomorrow because my Kaa-san insists on holding a small party in thanks for everyone has been helping me!_ Or so Tsuna wanted to say but the words waving goodbye in tears to his speaking ability at the sight of his Cloud Guardian towering over him. He stood rooted to the spot, dared not to breathe let alone open his mouth.

 _What do you want?_ Was all Hibari intended to demand when he decided enough was enough and opened the door himself. But the instant he confronted Sawada Tsunayoshi, his earlier aggressiveness fled, left him standing there with the herbivorous little animal who looked like he wanted nothing more than running back to his house and hid under his blanket for the remaining of the school year. "Yes?" He forced out, a little harsher than he meant to.

Tsuna flinched at the tone. _Oh my Gods, he's mad. No, he's beyond pissed! I'm gonna be bitten to death even worse than Dino-san!_ He wailed in his mind. "Um… Hibari-san, I… you know… um…" Tsuna squeezed his fingers tighter, "Hibari…-san?" _Why doesn't he say anything?_ The brunet chanced a glance at the taller male to see Hibari had his murderous gaze bored hole into the round corner of the hallway. _Hiii!_ That was where everyone was crowding to cheer for him—!

WHOOOOOOSH!

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

"HIIII!" _Everyone!_ Tsuna squeaked in fright at the destruction of the three layers of wall where Hibari's chain had pierced through from the Reception Room to the other two adjacent class rooms. He breathed out in relief when no dead body was buried under the debris after the dust cleared.

Silver eyes narrowed, "Just my imagination," Hibari said under his breath and turned back to Tsuna, "So, what do you want?"

Tsuna jumped when those eyes stared him down again, "I, um, you see… actually, uh, there is a… err…"

A yellow something flew over Hibari's shoulder and landed on Tsuna's head causing the smaller of the two to squeak in surprise.

"Little animal! Little animal!"

"Hibird?" Tsuna recognized the small bird always tagged along wherever Hibari was and gathered Hibird in his hands, "Where did you come from?" He looked around, his eyes widened at the sight behind Hibari's back.

"Hiii! The Reception Room!" _It looks like a battlefield! What happened?!_ Tsuna was in panic, _This can't be because of last night with Dino-san, right!?_

"Ignore it." Hibari told him.

Tsuna saw a red somewhere, he gasped seeing Hibari's hand, "Hibari-san, you are bleeding!"

Hibari raised an eyebrow and inspected his injured hand. Must be from earlier with Rokudo Mukuro… His mood only got worse thinking about that irritating pineapple herbivore.

"Let's have it treated before it gets infected, Hibari-san. The infirmary is not too far from here," Tsuna suggested.

Before Hibari could protest, the brunet had already grabbed his good hand and pulled him toward the new destination. The carnivore briefly wondered where that earlier fear had evaporated to.

"Please have a sit, Hibari-san," Tsuna directed his Cloud Guardian toward the swivel chair, most likely where Shamal used to sit during his work hour, and ran around to collect what he needed.

Hibari let Tsuna treat him while he observed the little animal. Actually Sawada Tsunayoshi made no mistake that often occurred as part of his clumsy nature when he set his mind on doing something. His movement was precise and speedy. Not once did he trip over nothing or anything in the matter. He did not accidentally cut his own finger when handling the scissor. He did not ridiculously get himself tangled in the gauzes. He did not bandage Hibari's hand at the level of a five-year-old trying to figure how to wrap a present.

"You are a confusing creature." Hibari said.

Tsuna jumped at the sudden conversation and looked up at his Cloud Guardian in surprise as he was securing the bandage for the taller male. "Hibari-san?"

"When you walked down the stair and missed a step, it was within your ability to avoid falling down and yet you fell, rubbing your head and apologized to those herbivores when they ran to you, asking if you were alright. Another time when you were cornered by the good-for-nothing herbivores who loved crowding to overpower those even physically weaker than each of them, instead of easily biting them all to death, you ran to not let them catch you as if they were playing the role of predators while in fact they were nothing but your preys, then you laughed in relief with your fellow herbivorous friend because you both were safe from them." Hibari recalled, if he noticed Tsuna's eyes widened at his words, he said nothing. "I can tell those were not an act. That's why I am confused which side of you that I prefer over the other."

"Which side of me?" Tsuna repeated in confusion.

Hibari closed his eyes, half-smiling at Tsuna's expression. "Then there is this side of you only emerges when those who are close to you were put in danger. You become calm, keep your thought to yourself, only talk when need to. And most of all, your eyes are no less persuasive, they are the only thing that connect those two sides of yours so the more carnivorous one not to be view as something of another completely different personality that only appeared when the situation calls for it."

"Hibari-san…" Tsuna had no word to say. This person had always been… _And yet, I…_ He bowed his head.

"You want to be stronger to protect someone, do you not?" Hibari asked, lifted Tsuna's face with his index-finger curling under the small chin, "How about treating yourself a little better so you won't get into unnecessary troubles, since you won't be able to protect anyone if you can't even take care of yourself."

"Hibari-san…" Tsuna murmured again, not knowing what to say next.

"They said you represent the Sky, right? So don't get yourself fallen out of it." Hibari told him.

Brown eyes widened in realization. _Yesterday!_ Tsuna hastily said, "Hibari-san, I'm sorry for being a burden to you, I—!"

"It's not about that, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Hibari cut off his ranting but didn't elaborate any further. He leaned on the backrest of the chair and sighed.

"Um… Thank you, for saving me, Hibari-san." Tsuna said, bowing his head.

The silence afterward started becoming awkward the longer it stretched on. At least Tsuna felt that way since Hibari didn't appear like he could be read that easily by his neutral expression.

"I heard from the herbivore who I bit to death yesterday about the crowding occasion at your house." Hibari recalled out of the blue.

"Um, yes. I'd like it very much if you come. But Hibari-san, you don't have to if you don't want to. I know you don't like crowd. There will be many people so if you don't come—"

"It's fine."

"Ah, I understa—EH?!" Tsuna openly gawked at the taller male, unable to trust his own hearing.

"I will come," Hibari clarified, "If they annoy me too much, I'll just bite them all to death."

Tsuna forced a strain smile, knowing full well Hibari would always stay true to his words. He could only hope all wouldn't end up in disaster. His comical expression dropped when he saw Hibari's bandage hand on the armrest.

Followed Tsuna's line of vision, Hibari lifted his injured hand and ruffled Tsuna's hair then angled the brunet head up so they were facing eye to eye. "It's still too early for a little herbivore like you to worry about me, and besides, you are weak."

Brown eyes widened.

Hibari continued before he was interrupted, "That's why it's okay to let someone strong protect you."

"It's unfair…" Tsuna mumbled.

"Hm?" Hibari raised an eyebrow.

"It's unfair, Hibari-san!" Tsuna protested heatedly, "I'll get stronger! So one day, one day… I'll be able to protect Hibari-san too!"

Hibari blinked at the declaration. He raised a fist to cover his mouth, but that was still not enough to hold in the first sound escaped from him. He doubled over, his shoulders shook.

"Hiii! Hibari-san?!" Tsuna was by his Cloud's side in a flash, flailing his hands wildly for not knowing what to do, "Are you okay? Do you feel unwell somewhere? Is there another wound? Hibari-san!"

Hibari sat up, leaning heavily on the backrest and laughed outwardly.

"… Hibari-san?" Tsuna called hesitantly, wondered if Hibari got hit in the head somewhere but dared not to ask. But his laughter sounded nice…

"You…!" Hibari said between chuckles, running a hand through his front bang from the right, "Are amusing."

"Mou! Hibari-san!" Tsuna huffed, pouting in annoyance.

Hibari breathed out, finally getting his mirth under control. "Well then," He smiled slyly, "If you can bite me once, I'll consider your offer."

"Hiii!" Tsuna squeaked in fright, backing off a little, "I can't bite Hibari-san!"

"You won't know until you try," Hibari insisted, leaning closer, enjoyed bullying the little animal a little too much, "Hm?" He pressed a tonfa under Tsuna's chin.

Tsuna shook his head frantically, beyond terrified. _I knew it! Hibari-san is SCARY!_

* * *

Somewhere else…

"Hibari is totally extreme!" Ryohei shouted at the row of broken walls, hiding with the others behind another and further round corner.

"How did he always get away every damned time he destroyed something!" Gokudera muttered darkly under his breath.

"You don't know?" Reborn questioned, sitting on Yamamoto's shoulder, "The Hibari Clan owns the whole Namimori and its public properties."

"The Hibari Clan?" Chrome repeated.

"Yes. Since long long long long long time ago, even before Vongola Primo settled down here, Namimori was said to be the safest and most peaceful town in Japan. The founder of the clan was a man with a French name before he changed his name to Hibari to better suit the environment. Vongola Primo took the name Sawada when he came to live here. Also since then the town was closed off from outside influences under the strict rules of the Hibari Clan. Rumors had it that they must be keeping something away from the rest of the world."

"Really?" Ryohei folded his arms thoughtfully, "I've never thought much about it, but Hibari's extreme passion about Namimori is already a legend."

"Yeah, he's been hell-bent on protecting Namimori for as long as I remember, especially our school." Yamamoto grinned.

"Reborn-san, do you know the name of that man with a French name?" Gokudera asked, something started clicking in…

Reborn smirked. "Alaude."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

"EXTREME REVEALATION!"

* * *

** Omake **

"Whoa, this is Ugetsu's country? So beautiful! The air is so nice!" Giotto stood on the ship prow, stretched his arms at his sides, shaking off the kinks from sitting in one place for too long. He turned to his companion, a scowl replaced his merry grin.

"—arrive soon. Get everything ready."

"You!" Giotto pointed an angry finger at the taller sandy blond man talking on the phone, "Even after we all retired, you are still working!"

An eyebrow arched, "Don't worry. Everything is according to plan." The blond assured, putting his phone in his pocket.

"Now you are talking like a criminal!"

"Stop yelling, you are disturbing other passengers."

"Don't change the topic!"

"Right, we have to think of a new name for you."

"Listen when people are talking to you!"

"Do you want to know what your name in the language of this country is?"

Amber eyes shined like Christmas. "Want!"

"Ieyasu."

"Ieyasu. Hmm… it has a nice sound to it. I like it." Giotto hummed thoughtfully. He saw something from the corner of his eyes and grinned excitedly, "Ah, a field! Wonderful! Fantastic!"

His companion sighed, "You are like a child…"

"Look! Look! It's a field!"

"The next thing I know is you will like the name Sawada too."

"What does it mean?"

"Rice paddy in the swamp."

"So… I'll be Ieyasu Sawada?"

"It's Sawada Ieyasu. The order of your given name and surname is reversed in this part of the world."

"How about Alaude, your name meaning is 'Skylark' right?"

Alaude smirked, "Hibari."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fandom has too many characters... I'm extremely overwhelmed whenever I need them in the story beside Tsuna, Reborn, Hibari and Mukuro. I am well-aware of the distraction from other characters to the main characters is very great if not being handled carefully, but it's easier said than done, sadly.
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you'll look forward to the next update,
> 
> Asuka K.


	3. Not as a phantom of myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italian words used in this chapter and their meaning in English:
> 
> "Da quanto tempo che non ci vediamo, il mio Nuvola." - "Long time no see, my Cloud."
> 
> Il mio - My (masculine form)
> 
> Tempesta - Storm
> 
> Fulmine - Lightning
> 
> Pioggia - Rain
> 
> Sereno - Sunny
> 
> Nebbia - Mist

"Da quanto tempo che non ci vediamo, il mio Nuvola."

Silver eyes widened, before he had enough time to turn around, the trigger was pulled. He was more than feeling the bullet pierced his skull.

_"He has no need to bind you, because you can never escape his embrace in the first place."_

Why did the words of that carnivorous Baby come back only now to remind him of it? He struggled to stay in control of his dead weight, only to fall prey to the intensity of fatigue that was slowly eating him like a fast spreading decease. He could no longer see anything with his blurring eyesight. He smirked bitterly. ' _Il mio'… he said…_

"Welcome home," The voice whispered in his ears, those arms holding him all the more tightly, "By my side."

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi must have figured out in the following weeks that if he was to approach him, all the little animal needed was leaving that crowding squad out of his sight and he would have no reason to pull out his tonfas. There was always a plausible excuse. A lunch box prepared by Sawada Nana due to this leaked information somewhere that he hadn't been eating well lately, an errand that was hardly important from the Baby, or the Baby himself asking if he would be free to babysit the little animal for an afternoon when the women went shopping with the children (Gokudera Hayato, Yamamoto Takeshi and Sasagawa Ryohei were tasked to haul their shopping bags all around the mall. Since Sawada Tsunayoshi had done his turn some time before, it would be fair if they cut him some slack this time, or so he was told).

He didn't know when it happened, but Sawada Tsunayoshi was no longer frightened at the sight of him. Casual greetings exchanged in the morning at the school gate and 'see you tomorrow' at the end of school day, or a short conversation would ensure when the little animal brought in some paperwork that should be the job of his class representative. He might have fallen into the habit of anticipating the next time Sawada Tsunayoshi came find him with another excuse just so they would spend time together. Or he would all of a sudden appear at the Sawada household through the little animal's window without prior notice only to enjoy watching the way those large brown eyes widened in disbelief, and the surprised "HIIIIII!" later would surely wake up the whole neighborhood and all the mishaps it entailed. Whereas it was utterly annoying before, he found it interesting to rouse that noise now whenever he felt like doing what the Baby had been doing, namely bullying the little animal. If he was to be honest, Sawada Tsunayoshi was not a bad company. He was like another Hibird. Chirping all the time (about his day at school, those herbivores' antics, the ten-year-bazooka, and the Rings when he was in a talkative mood to make any comment about those low class Cloud rings his future-self broke while training him); his singing of the school anthem was completely off-tone, though.

On a whim when he decided to have a late night walk and coincidentally near the Sawada household, his attention was drawn to the still lit room on second floor. What was that little animal doing at 2 in the morning when there was less than five hours for sleep left before he had to prepare for school? That marked the first time he learnt of Sawada Tsunayoshi's recently adopted habit of sleeping very early, right after dinner, and woke up at wee hours in the morning; this also explained why he was hardly late for school recently. The little animal told him he could concentrate more when there was no interruption from the children when he needed to study for exams, and that the silence of the night was surprisingly welcoming. On nights like these he sat on the floor with his back leaning on the bed, watching Sawada Tsunayoshi did his homework on the low table not too close neither too far from him, until the little animal slumped on the table, so he would carry him to bed, tuck him in, turn off the light, and left quietly through the window. (When he was in a particularly good mood, he would also turn off the alarm clock on his way out to make sure the little animal was going to be late that day.)

"Hibari-san, why do you always call others by their full name?" Tsuna asked, squinting his eyes intensely at Hibird's legs where he remembered there had been a small camera attached to it in the future that they had to fight against Byakuran.

"There are many herbivores around. Occasionally if I don't use their names, they will not know which ones of them I am addressing."

"Then wouldn't it be fine if you call someone by their family name…?" Tsuna pressed, still confused as to why it had to be the full name.

"Is that so."

Thanked to the time he spent with Hibari so far, Tsuna knew when not to push the matter based on the responses he got. If they were at a topic where it did not interest Hibari or something Hibari didn't want to talk about, he would give curt answers which was neither yes or no. He wouldn't tell Tsuna to shut up, but he didn't appear like he was listening to what was being said either. At times like this, Tsuna left it somewhere in the back of his mind and changed the topic.

Hibari sighed and dropped his pen on the school report he had been reading. Actually he hadn't been able to get anything done today. He was unable to focus since waking up this morning. Everything had looked too hazy. And it was too hot when summer was still another month away.

The brunet had looked up when he heard a small _clack_ noise, but Hibari didn't show any sign of acknowledgment when the pen rolled off his desk and got lost somewhere under it. He was alarmed seeing those silver eyes lost their usual sharpness and became half-masted. Tsuna didn't need his intuition this time when he ran around the table and put his hands on Hibari's shoulders to steady him before his Cloud Guardian fell face first on the desk. "Hibari-san!" Tsuna called worriedly.

Hibari was unresponsive, his breathing was irregular, and he was sweating too much when this room temperature was not that high to begin with. Actually it had been freezing cold when Tsuna arrived and subtle complained about it until Hibari relented and let him do what he wanted with the AC remote control, to 'shut you up' as his Cloud Guardian stated after. Tsuna put his hand on Hibari's forehead and gasped. He was burning!

"Hibari-san!" Tsuna tried again, almost sighed in relief when he felt Hibari tense up.

"Too loud," Hibari whispered hoarsely, clearing his dry throat. The headache was annoying. Too much noises. The light was too bright. When did he caught a cold…? He glared at Tsuna's anxious face, "You should go back to your class. Lunch break will be over soon."

It was just Hibari's way of telling him to get out before he contracted whatever his Guardian was getting too. Tsuna made a protesting noise, shaking his head. He put one of Hibari's arm around his shoulders and pulled the taller male to lean on him as he helped the taller male standing up from his chair. "I'm taking you to the infirmary, Hibari-san." He told the other, who was still glaring at him but right now, Tsuna was obviously more worried than remembered he should be feeling intimidated.

* * *

"What's this?" Shamal frowned when the Vongola Decimo opened the door none too gently and ignored him, guiding the obviously sick one to the nearest bed. "I don't treat male!" He reminded them, and paused, there was something off. Why Tsuna was wearing a _suit_ …? And wasn't he supposed to be a little shorter and smaller than this current size?

"You will tell me what is wrong with him this instant," The unfamiliar low monotonous voice said with a threatening undertone, narrow brown eyes glanced at him and back to…

"Hibari?!" Shamal gaped.

Tsuna was getting impatient. He raised his bare left hand, pure Sky flame flicker from his fingertips before blazing angrily in his palm, waiting to be shot out at Shamal's direction without looking at the man. "You have three seconds before both you and everything on your table and under it disappear right here, right now." The brunet stated coldly.

Shamal gulped. This was bad. This man was not someone he remembered as Sawada Tsunayoshi of this era, could it be…

"Three," Tsuna started, brushing Hibari's side lock behind his ear and caressed his cheek.

 _What the hell?_ Shamal stood root to the spot. Was that how a Boss supposed to touch his subordinate or this exclusively Vongola Ring holders only?

"Two." Tsuna tilted his head, looking at Hibari with an expression akin to wonder despite his unreadable bright orange eyes. The flame on his hand slowly solidified, its coloring became paler until it turned transparently white and shot toward Shamal like an arrow, stopped before it pierced through his skull and exploded before his wide eyes like diamond dust.

Not daring to wait for the last count down, Shamal immediately stood by Hibari's other side and started examining him. His hand hovered over Hibari's forehead—

"Do not touch him," Tsuna ordered frostily, addressing the doctor but not diverted his gaze from the unconscious male, "A doctor at your caliber should be able to tell his condition at first glance without acting like an everyday amateur. Before my patience completely disappears, I advise you do what you were told and leave us as soon as you are done, _Shamal_."

As much as he wanted to stay and watched the rest of their exchange until the five minutes ran out, he valued his life more. So with a shrug Shamal headed to the door and threw over his shoulder, "Side effects of sleeping pill. You may want to tell him to cut it out, though."

"That was unexpected." Reborn said, standing outside the infirmary with a hand in his pocket.

"Unexpected?! For a second I saw my life flashing before my eyes!" Shamal yelled, crossing his arms to hide his still shaking and sweaty hands. "You could at least give me a warning beforehand!"

"That stupid-cow tagged along Bianchi when she came to school to give Tsuna his forgotten lunch box. Who knows he got into a brawl with Gokudera and ran to Tsuna, tripping on his feet and the ten-year-bazooka was supposedly aiming at Hibari." Reborn summarized.

"Supposedly?" Shamal questioned though he might have figured it out already.

"Apparently Tsuna got another idea so he shielded Hibari."

"There was no harm done to Hibari even if he got hit by it, it's just the ten-year-bazooka."

Reborn lowered his eyes under his fedora. "If it had been just that."

"What do you mean?"

"Tsuna went into Hyper Dying Will mode by himself when he did it."

"… What?" _Is that even possible?_ Shamal wondered inwardly.

"I noticed it a few weeks ago but didn't expect the frequency would be to this extent. I'm going to call Nono and Iemitsu." Reborn turned around and walked off. "If I was you I wouldn't stick my head in that room for the rest of the day, or until that Tsuna returns to his own time," He added as an afterthought, "After all he _manipulated_ Gokudera and others along with Kozato Enma go back to class like a child play with less than ten words. And froze my _Chaos Shot_ with his bare hand _while_ poking an X-Burner at me using only his index-finger."

Shamal rubbed the back of his head and sighed long-sufferingly. "Should have buried the good stuffs outside to entertain myself at times like this." Besides, his limbs were still shaking in _fear_.

* * *

_Not here too!_

Tsuna ran down another corridor, passing another group of surprised housekeepers, paying them no heed when they shouted in the language he couldn't understand aside from the word "Neo Primo".

He stopped, crouching with hands on his knees and breathing hard. The sign on the door before him read "Tempesta" under an engraving looked like the symbol on Vongola Storm Ring, this must be Gokudera's room. Tsuna glanced at the door on the opposite side, "Fulmine", Lambo's. He took a long inhale and breathed out to calm himself, then walked the remaining distance to the last two doors.

"Pioggia", Yamamoto's.

"Sereno", Ryohei's.

Tsuna turned around and ran to the other side of the round staircases separated the two wings. This side only had two doors.

And they both read "Nebbia", obviously for Mukuro and Chrome.

Eyes widened, Tsuna took a step backward, turning his head from side to side in disbelief.

_Why?_

* * *

Tsuna called back his box animal and put it in the hidden pocket of his suit. He sat on the edge of the bed by Hibari's side, looking at the sleeping face.

"How envious," He chuckled to himself. _I wonder if myself is enjoying the view_. The corner of his lips curled up more to that of a smirk. Tsuna blinked when there was subtle stirring as Hibari started waking up. He leaned down, put his hand on the closed eyelids to prevent it from opening.

"Who…" Hibari hissed, not liking it that he was feeling too weak to do anything.

"Hush," Tsuna whispered near Hibari's ear, "Don't ask anything about me, and don't look at me, too. If you do that, I will remove my hand. Deal?"

Hibari huffed and turned his head the other side moodily.

Tsuna chuckled mischievously and lifted his hand a little so it still obscured Hibari's view of him. "It's nice to see you again." Then there was a loud POOF and pink smoke surrounded him.

Silver eyes widened when Tsuna emerged from the smoke lunging at him, knocking the air out of his lungs in the process.

"Wha—oomph!" Tsuna sat up and rubbed his nose, looking around, "The infirmary…?" He muttered to himself, slowly got back his bearing of the situation.

Hibari blinked several times. _What the…_

Tsuna looked down, eyes dilated at seeing who he was straddling and lowered his head, his hands curled into fists.

"Little ani—" Hibari started but he stopped himself when Tsuna jumped off him to stand by his bedside with his back facing him.

"I… I'm sorry Hibari-san," Tsuna said quickly, "I hope you'll get better soon. I'm going to my class now." Not waiting for Hibari's response, Tsuna ran out of the infirmary.

Hibari frowned, "What was that about…" He muttered to himself.

"Better?" A voice asked from the entrance way.

"You should know if you had treated me." Hibari clicked his tongue in agitation and sat up. Actually he was feeling _too_ better, as if he hadn't been sick since the morning.

"I didn't treat you, that's why I asked." Shamal shrugged dismissively at Hibari's questioning gaze, "Normally I would advise you stay in bed but you look as good as new so hurry up and get out of here."

Silver eyes narrowed, Hibari glared evilly and pulled out his tonfas, "You dare ordering me? I'll bite yo—" Cloud flame ignited from the front end of the tonfas and spread out to the other end, flaring dangerously. Hibari barely held in a gasp.

"What the hell?!" Shamal yelled, raised a hand to shield his eyes from the intense flame pressure.

* * *

Enma jolted in surprise at the sudden tension descended on the area.

"What?!" Gokudera ran to the window, looking around frantically for any coming threat. "Where the hell did that come from?!"

"That…" Yamamoto also looked outside next to the Storm Guardian, tension sweat rolled down from his temple, "… is a little too serious," He voiced his thought only loud enough for Gokudera to hear.

"Mr. Gokudera, Mr. Yamamoto, would you please go back to your seats now!" The teacher called them in frustration, not liking one bit that they were interrupting the class.

Tsuna gripped his Sky Ring under his shirt with a grimace. _Why suddenly it is burning…_

"Tsuna-kun? Tsuna-kun, are you okay?" Kyoko called softly in worry, noticing his expression as if he was in pain.

"Kyoko-chan…" Tsuna turned slightly toward the girl and attempted an assuring smile, "It's nothing, I'm fi—"

BOOM!

They both looked up as their classmates abandoned their seats and huddled at the windows to see what caused that explosion. The teacher was trying in vain to calm everyone down.

"It's from the infirmary!" One girl exclaimed with a gasp.

"What happened!" The student bodies talked noisily among themselves.

Tsuna didn't hear anything else. _The infirmary…?_ _Oh no!_ He immediately stood and ran out of the classroom, didn't notice his Guardians and Enma followed after him or the teacher yelling at them to get back to class.

 _Hibari-san… is not there…_ Tsuna said in his mind, recalling his five minutes in the future. _But he was with us when we fought against Byakuran! Then why…?_ He bit his bottom lip, fighting down the pain in his chest, all the more tightened his grip on his Sky Ring in hope of drawing out any kind of reassurance from it.

The door was completely destroyed and the infirmary looked like what left of a battlefield. But shaken Tsuna to the core was Hibari's massive Needle Sphere Form barely fitted in the room that must be the cause of whatever damage had been done. He looked around frantically but there was no sight of his Cloud Guardian anywhere. "Hibari-san?! Where are you, Hibari-san!" He called urgently, heart hammering in his chest when no one answered him. Tsuna ran over to the spiky dark purple orb and slammed his fists against its steel-like surface, screaming in desperation, "HIBARI-SAN!"

"Shut up, you are hurting my ears."

Brown eyes widened at the familiar voice, but Tsuna could only focus his gaze on the figure emerged when the Cloud Hedgehog heavily shook himself, splashing more dust in the air, further destroyed the room before returning to his normal form.

* * *

"This is…" Hibari observed his surroundings. It looked as if he was standing in the middle of the sky. The only way to tell where the invisible wall was, was the numerous large spikes stemmed from it. Silver eyes narrowed in realization. "Reverse Needle Sphere Form," _That earlier flame must have fed Roll enough to activate this_ , he concluded, gripping his tonfas tighter, "… and _that man_ 's inner most secret."

Behind his impenetrable offensive and defensive barrier, there was only _the Sky_ , and only it would watch he bit his opponents who worthy enough to reach this place, to death.

'So to _you_ , only _him_ matters.' Hibari thought to himself and closed his eyes.

_"It's nice to see you again."_

The one supposed to be Sawada Tsunayoshi from the future, what did he mean by that? Why did he treat him? How? And what else did he do that caused his flame to stir too much?

"Hibari-san?!" He heard the familiar voice calling him from all sides, "Where are you, Hibari-san!" Since when did he become unable to ignore that little animal? Since when did he start answering Sawada Tsunayoshi? Since when, did he have another purpose to fight?

"If I ask you now, can you answer any of my questions, Sawada Tsunayoshi, in place of the person you are going to become." Hibari said to himself, casting a last glance at the "sky" and called back his hedgehog.

"HIBARI-SAN!"

Ah, now the little animal sounded like he was going to cry. How baffling he was also the full-fledged carnivore earlier. Even with his eyes closed Hibari could feel the heavy pressure of his strength, though carefully concealed.

"Shut up, you are hurting my ears." Hibari told Tsuna while Roll shrank until he was as big as Hibird. His eyes widened when the little animal ran toward him and threw his arms around his mid-section, holding him tightly.

"Sawa—"

"Thanks goddess! You are okay!" Tsuna choked, voice muffled by the way he was buried his face in Hibari's chest. "You're sick earlier! I'm sorry I shouldn't have left like that! When I heard there was an explosion here I was scared! I thought you might get attacked again!"

Hibari relaxed his tense muscles a little, not used to this kind of physical contact, and put a hand on Tsuna's back awkwardly. "I'm fine," He told the shorter boy, having nothing else to say.

Tsuna was in a state of disbelief himself, half-expecting to be pushed away and then bitten to death, but the gesture was soothing—

"JUUDAIME! WHERE AR—DAMN YOU HIBARI! HOW DARE YOU HUG JUUDAIME AGAIN?!" Gokudera screamed at the top of his lungs at the sight.

"Hiiii!" Tsuna squeaked and sprang away from Hibari, looking at the entranceway and ducked his head in mortified when he saw his Guardians and even Enma stood there with the matching dumbfound expression on their faces.

"It's Sawada hugging Hibari to the EXTREME!" Ryohei corrected with a shout.

"Haha, Tsuna has been getting along well with Hibari lately." Yamamoto grinned.

Chrome stared blankly.

"They are like Vongola Primo and the first Cloud Guardian in my ancestor's diary," Enma remarked with a chuckle.

Hibari's eyes twitched. "You all, are crowding," He hissed, giving the onlookers his trademark evil glare and brandished his tonfas.

Tsuna looked up and squeaked frightfully at Hibari's dark expression and the murderous glint in his eyes. "W-wait! Hibari-san!" His plea went unheard.

"I'll bite you all to death!"

* * *

"Why me too!" Tsuna sobbed, gingerly poking his swollen cheek.

"Don't whine. Your state is still better than the others." Reborn pinched Tsuna on his side painfully, causing his student to shriek at the sudden attack.

"But I didn't do anything!" Tsuna protested, rubbing his tender, newly acquired bruise and puffed his cheeks.

"I had my suspicion when we were in the future, but it seems Hibari obviously is a _tsundere_."

"Huh?" Tsuna stared dumbly at his tutor.

Reborn looked at Tsuna with a frown and kicked his other cheek in annoyance. "You are too slow!" He jumped off the hospital bed and walked out of the room without another word.

"Reborn! That's mean!" Tsuna cried at the small treating back and huffed, cradling his cheeks. He looked down and muttered sullenly under his breath, "If he already said I'm slow then he should explain it too!"

"Hm?" A voice said from the doorway, "You look well enough." Hibari remarked, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed.

Tsuna brightened up instantly. "Hibari-san!"

Hibari raised an eyebrow, intrigued at the speed of mood shifting. He straightened up and closed the door after him, coming to sit on the chair beside Tsuna's bed. "My bad," He cleared his throat awkwardly, avoided looking at the brunet, especially where his tonfa had hit by complete accident earlier.

Tsuna lowered his head, flushing a little. In a small voice, he murmured "It's fine", biting his bottom lip but unable to stop himself from smiling like an idiot over the pain in his chest. _At least I can still see Hibari-san now…_

They were not walking the same path as their previous future. He didn't share the same thinking and feeling as the man sharing his name they all met before. It might be just fine if he carefully kept his distance with Sawada Tsunayoshi, not too far to start hurting the other but not close enough to cause a lasting wound.

 _So if we are going to part way in the future, only our good memories remain_.

* * *

"The longer I look at them, I feel my gray matter is deteriorating." Mukuro complained to his silent companion.

Chrome turned away from the certain hospital room they were spying to the male sitting on the branch beside her and gave him a long look. "Mukuro-sama, are you okay?"

Heterochromatic eyes widened in surprise and closed with a smile on his lips. "It'll be fine, Chrome." He told her evasively.

Chrome caught the hint and didn't push him. She went through her bag, pulled out a box carefully wrapped in a dark color fabric and gave it to him. "Mukuro-sama, this is… dinner I made. If… if you would like…" She whispered, coloring in embarrassment.

"Kufufu, of course. Thank you, Nagi." Mukuro flashed a rare smile, accepting the box, "I take it you are adjusting well to the life in Namimori."

Chrome smiled at him beautifully in return. "Yes, Mukuro-sama."

"Master~!" A childish voice interrupted them from somewhere below, "I was planning to share but the chocolate is so delicious! I asked Chrome-nee make it for me so I can kiss her in thanks!"

A vein popped on the side of Mukuro's head and his smile took on a darker edge. He threw his trident down, pinning Flan where he was sitting by his large apple shape hat. "Since you are fed too well, we should start your lesson soon. I'll have to make sure you are _properly_ educated, little one." He threatened.

"Eeeeh~! Fine, but Chrome-nee, Kiss me goodbye~!" The boy deadpanned, pulled the trident off his hat and threw it over his shoulder.

Another bigger vein popped on Mukuro's forehead. "Kufufu, I've got several good ideas from watching the Vendicare doing their things, it wouldn't hurt to test on you, little one, starting with the water and shackles."

"Eeeehh~! But master~! Isn't that called domestic abuse? Nooo~! Master, you pervert pineapple~! And you even said that in front of Chrome-nee~!" Fran droned dramatically with a straight face.

Mukuro clenched his trident tighter to the point of cracking.

"Mukuro-sama…" Chrome whispered, almost sorry for the child's life.

"Kufufu, don't worry, Chrome. I will not kill him," He assured her, _"Yet!"_

"Chrome-nee~! I'm scared! Hug me~!"

Snap.

"Kufufu… I will kill you slowly and painfully, little one."

"Nooo~! I'll run now! Somebody help me~! The pervert pineapple is coming after my cute innocent ass!" He stated and ran off.

Mukuro's shoulders shook in suppressing rage.

Chrome stared blankly as Mukuro disappeared and sighed. "I hope Flan is okay. Lambo-chan said his tummy felt weird the next morning after he ate my chocolate…"

* * *

"May 5 will be the next Friday, Hibari-san." Tsuna said, petting Hibird with his forefinger.

"I know when the Children's Day is." Hibari turned another page of the book he had been reading.

Tsuna frowned. "It's not the Children's Day I'm talking about." He continued when Hibari said nothing, "It's Hibari-san's birthday!"

Hibari blinked and looked up to stare blankly at the younger boy. "So?"

"We should celebrate!" Tsuna suggested eagerly.

"No thank you," Hibari declined, casually turned another page, "I have no desire to celebrate the day I get older by one year."

"I am grateful for that day, Hibari-san," Tsuna looked down, gripping the hospital blanket, "Because many years ago on that day, Hibari-san was born."

Silver eyes widened.

"So, it is an important day, and must be celebrated with everyone."

Hibari closed the book, put it on the bedside table, then he stood and walked to the window looking outside. "Do what you want."

Tsuna smiled brightly, "Thank you Hibari-san! I'm sure everyone will be very happy!"

 _"Everyone?"_ Hibari repeated ominously. He turned around, bangs shadowed his eyes and the darkening aura around him was prominent.

"Hiii!" Tsuna jumped in realization, crawling backward on his hospital bed when Hibari advanced toward him with his tonfas in his hands. "No! No! Hibari-san! I—"

"Use my birthday as your reason for crowding…" Hibari glared down at the cornered little animal, who was shaking his head frantically in fright, "I'll bite you to death!"

* * *

"What is this! You're already in good mood! To think I even care to bother making sure you don't hang yourself out of boredom!" Xanxus downed his wine in one gulp and slammed the glass on the long dinner table noisily and glared at the male sitting on the other end.

"I met someone I knew long ago." Tsuna told him, taking a small bite of his meal.

An intrigued eyebrow raised. "Visitor?"

"You can say that," Tsuna set his chopsticks down and idly took a sip of his _sake_ cup, then continued with a hidden smile, "We haven't met in ten years."

* * *

** Omake **

"So it is why there are always a bunch of presents address to me on that day." Hibari pondered thoughtfully.

"Hibari-san, what kind of present did you receive last year?" Tsuna asked, hoping to get some hints about what to give his Cloud Guardian (as he nursed his new black eye).

"Red packets with lots of money in it."

Stabbed.

"Clothes from latest Designer Collections."

Stabbed.

"Accessories with different kinds of gem."

Stabbed.

"A new sport car, special edition."

Stabbed! Stabbed!

"A beach house."

Stabbed! Stabbed! Stabbed!

 _This person is too high maintenance!_ Tsuna wailed inwardly.


	4. As your Guardians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I jumped time a lot in this story and I can't help it. KHR has a thing with time-traveling even though the time-travel part itself was not the main focus in the long run.

He woke up to the sound of a familiar melody but for the life of him, he couldn't remember it, or anything in the matter. The room was extraordinary grandiose and the bed where only him had been resting was too large for just one person, in fact it looked like it could fit in ten more persons and still being spacious then.

The music stopped. By the time his gaze fell on the grand piano situated on the other side of the room, a brunet was walking toward him. Those brown eyes drew him in, the way they glowed with inner strength in contrast to that soft smile spoke of the innocence hardly yet at the same time surprisingly went well with what this man was truly capable of. Almost feminine in build under his near transparent thin shirt, the light shade of skin tone indicated long hours of staying indoor, but the most misleading thing about him was his demeanor. For a dangerous kind of living being this man wholly entitled to, he didn't appear to be on guard in front of him. That meant this man knew him on a personal level, or he was that confident in his ability to look down on him, or he was a total idiot.

Before he could decide on one of the three assortments, the male casually sat on the bed by his side as if the definition of personal bubble between them was nonexistence. For now, they were supposed to be knowing each other, and seemingly closer than mere acquaintances then.

 _"He will lie."_ A voice in his head told him.

The brunet looked at him for a while, then he chuckled, broke their eye contact as his lids fell and hid his smile behind the hand he had lifted to cover his lips. "It's been a while since the last time I was on the receiving end of the look you are giving me," The male sighed, but instead of turning away in disappointment, that same hand reached over to caress his cheek as its owner leaned in until their noses were hairbreadth away, "They told me not to expect too much, but I can't help it. Do you remember me?"

 _"Don't let him get any closer."_ The same voice hissed at him.

"No." His voice came out icily, surprised himself by the familiarity with the one had been resounding in his ears. Unlike how relax the other male was, his body was completely rigid. His hands fisted on his lap as if to hold himself back from harming the only person in the same room with him. While he might have lost what he should remember about this man, the part that hadn't forgotten wanted nothing more than pushing him as far as possible, away from his sight. But at the same time,

_Where does this desire to hold him so tight until he suffocates and dies in my arms come from?_

"I know this may be very sudden to you, _my Cloud_ ,"

There was an unreadable glint flickered in the brown eyes before it was replaced with a soft light, so kind it was obviously fake if he didn't know any better. Strange, because these eyes looked persuasively honest to him, why was he so certain it was a false one the moment he saw it directed at him?

"You are Hibari Kyouya,"

His supposed name sounded wrong in the ears when being spoken by this male, he had no idea why. The way he caressed each syllable like a prayer? The way it came out from those lips with a gentleness that shouldn't be? The way those eyes looked at him as if they were going to cry because the pain in just saying his name was so immense, too overwhelmed that even tears were unable to fall anymore?

"I am Sawada Tsunayoshi,"

That name caused something deep within him to stir, his heart to quicken, his eyes to narrow. And the mantra of his own voice drilling the two words _"he lies"_ repeatedly in his head with all kinds of emotions he had ever known, getting ever louder. Too loud. Until his entire body trembled, boiling with a desire. To kill this man.

"Your lover."

"You lie." He didn't think it was this easy to overpower this man who was too strong, maybe even stronger than him. But as his hand tightened around the slender throat, where his nails were leaving indents so close to break skin, and hovered over the other like a predator. He didn't only feel hatred for this man, but also the root of it when his memory returned like an assembling puzzle.

"You could have left everything behind and lived on as if these years never happened." Sawada Tsunayoshi told him with a disappointed smile, not in the least minding a fact his own life was being threatened.

"Unlike you, I do not entertain living in a lie." He sneered harshly.

The brunet closed his eyes and sighed in resignation, "I wish it would last longer, even for just another moment."

He frowned, removed his hand from the neck to grip the chin, until the Mafia Boss looked at him. His eyes widened. Was that… _defeated_? "What happened to you?" He found himself asking.

"Reborn is dead," He was told emotionlessly, "So did Yamamoto Tsuyoshi."

 _"Pardon?"_ He hissed, not liking what he had heard. He didn't care enough about the latter, but the former name was a different story.

"The information he sent back along with his Sun Arcobaleno Pacifier before he got paralyzed to death was hazardous. There is this kind of thing released in the air that exceptionally harmful only to Arcobaleno, the anti Tri-ni-set radiation. This matches the detail report you had Kusakabe delivered to me prior from your own investigation based on what left in Verde's facilities."

Tsuna closed his eyes with a tired sigh. "Byakuran, he got me."

"This is not like you, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Mmm, I didn't plan on seeing you, but I know I will regret it if I didn't… so…" Tsuna lifted his hand in their view, showing a crystal clear bullet between his index and middle-finger. "I commissioned Verde to create this not long after you left. The person who got shot by this will forget everything, themselves, and their life up to that point. Knowing how you hate abiding to someone else's rules, I had hoped it would last me an hour." He chuckled helplessly, "But this is enough. Had I known you imprinted myself to the deepest part of your memory even if you fell into the hands of enemies and got brainwashed to death for information, only seeing me would you remember everything…"

"You will _what_?" Hibari demanded, "This is the world where I can't have you for myself while you have all the rights to call me _yours_ the moment I took one of those accused rings!"

"I can only give you my life."

His pupils dilated at the words spoken without hesitation, Hibari was shocked into stillness.

"Only you, who love me enough to hate me to the very core of your being, can kill me with your own hands." Tsuna cupped the pale cheeks in his hands, his thumbs traversed gently on the smooth and warm skin.

"What are you—!" His outburst was cut off by a finger on his lips.

"Irie Shoichi contacted me. I have gathered enough of his information to decide we can't win Byakuran as we are, not with what he is capable of." Tsuna frowned. The way his brows furrowed in thought right now denied the existence of that defeated look and acceptance expression earlier of his. Why, Hibari wondered.

"That is one of the reasons I think we should destroy the Vongola Rings."

Hibari didn't do so much after Tsuna's conclusion other than a blink.

"Just so you know…" Tsuna turned his gaze away, "I ordered the Varia to assassinate all the Vongola Cloud Guardian candidates after you left. Fortunately they all are too incompetent to even take on the Varia's lackey squad so no matter how many of them the useless old man threw at me, none ever passed the first round!" He raised his voice defensively by the end of his rant.

"Why are you telling me this?" Hibari questioned uncaringly.

"Do you know how tedious it was after you left?" Tsuna groused moodily, "Xanxus just doesn't know when to stop! He keeps whining at me for the lacking of elite Cloud flame fighters on both my side and his so I sent Hayato-kun to shut him up. But all they did was destroyed the Varia HQ. That man who claimed himself my right-hand man didn't like the design of the _bathroom_ in his temporary living quarter because he has trypophobia, which was totally a LIE, and demanded his Jacuzzi to be changed to a rectangular shape to rile _Squalo_ up!"

"… Have I been competing with these idiots for you all these years?" Hibari asked slowly.

"I don't know," Tsuna smiled sourly. "You have always been with _Dino-_ san. I was convinced you returned your Vongola Ring to stay with him," He put a hand over his eyes and breathed out shakily, "Imagine my surprise when he and half of his men at my door asking your whereabouts as I was crying myself to sleep, holding your Vongola Ring, telling myself that you were still around somewhere and only dropped your ring and that you would go looking for it very soon…"

Hibari curled his hands into fists and swallowed hard.

_What have we done…_

"We don't have time to think about us anymore," Tsuna said softly. When he removed his hand and opened his eyes, all traces of bitter feelings were gone. Brown eyes narrowed sharply that also fitted well with how dangerous he had become over the years. "I want to place a bet on _myself_ , who is ten years younger."

 _"Excuse me?"_ Hibari snarled incredulously. What did this total idiot thinking, leaving everything in the hands of a child, even if that child was himself? _He_ was the one got hit in the head with a bullet recently, not this lunatic carnivore!

"I had Giannini worked on a safe field in which detached itself from the outside in our bases and special gears that will be to Reborn's liking as soon as he is transferred here from the past. As long as he stays within our bases, his life won't be in immediate danger." Tsuna closed his eyes with a smile, "As for myself…"

"There is no guarantee _that child_ will survive in this world as it is now." Hibari warned.

"I know, that's why," Tsuna looked at the person above him and wrapped his arms around Hibari's neck, "You decide it. Kill me before I get killed by Byakuran, or make me become less boring in your eyes. Knowing Reborn, he would request _you_ put me through the Vongola Trial to force a quick power boost on my younger self, and get me used to the fighting style of this era with you being the strongest person among those he could choose by then. Since you are not an idiot, you won't get switched that fast."

"You… there is no way to make you to rethink this?" Hibari whispered near desperately, lamenting those earlier ignorance seconds when his memory was still blank about everything, and most of all, about this man lying beneath him.

Tsuna shook his head. "Reborn told me there will be no change no matter I use this bullet on you or not. I didn't get what he meant then, but I think I understand now, even if it is too late…" Tsuna said in a strangle tone, his breathing was slightly uneven, a telltale sign of him trying to hold back from breaking down. "Please… give me another chance."

"Let go of me," Hibari told the brunet.

Tsuna shook his head again, tightened his hold around the other man's neck and pulled him down until Hibari was flattened against him on the bed. "If I get shot to death, I want my coffin to be placed in Namimori. The Namimori's discipline is best, peaceful, and most important of all, it is where I met you and everyone. It is the place everything begins."

Hibari shut his eyes tightly to block out the voice. He gritted his teeth in anger. One of his hand went around the small back, the other weaved in brunet hair, holding the lithe frame impossibly closer to him. "Shut up, or I'll bite you to death." There was a breathy chuckle from Tsuna as Hibari felt the hot wetness damping his shirt.

"What have we been doing… Kyouya-san?" Tsuna pondered quietly.

"Associating with you lot has turned me into an idiot too, so it seems." Hibari told him with a grunt.

"When I am with you, I feel like everything will definitely be fine."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

"Did you?"

"… I'm biting you to death."

"Since I see you blushing like this, I can die happily now." Tsuna smiled contently.

"You will not die by the hands of an herbivore like Byakuran," Hibari lifted Tsuna's face by his chin, staring him down, "Because only I can bite you to death."

"Stop that," Tsuna grinned cheekily, "Your confession is making me feel really embarrassed."

* * *

"It must be your hobby to mess with time." Hibari told the one covering his eyes, whose lap was cushioning his head.

"It is your bad habit to sleep on the veranda, where you are exposed to the elements and catch a cold more often than not." The ten years older Tsuna told him without missing a beat.

"What kind of game are you playing this time?" Hibari asked bluntly.

"You are not cute at all. Just moments ago you were so small, so adorable I could have picked you up and squeezed you to death, now you are interrogating me!"

Tsuna was pouting, but because his hand was keeping Hibari from seeing him, the carnivorous lord and master of the house could only imagine how that mature face of the brunet looked like right now from his memory of _that man_. "I remember wondering where did that carnivore had disappeared to, leaving the tiny herbivore from earlier in his place like those common magic shows on the TV."

"… Was I the reason you have been keeping _those_ tonfas…?" Tsuna wondered hesitantly.

"I figured if I'm holding onto them, you would eventually come back to retrieve them."

Tsuna ducked his head at his own stupidity. "So I went to the past, when my 5 years old self was being bullied by some drunkard meanies, as you were about to bite them with your too-young fangs, in a moment of madness I had used my Cloud tonfas because I'm sure using my bare hands is cheating, then dropped them when I ran to check on you later… you then picked them up and kept them until now…"

"And apparently, to ten years later, until they got hacked into pieces by an herbivore with illegal eyebrows." Hibari finished for him.

Tsuna let out a distressed groan.

"Don't make it your habit. You may become like _that_ Byakuran." Hibari warned.

"It is too late…" Tsuna told him gravely, "I have become too evil I even act like a long lost friend of Xanxus. I loiter around the Varia HQ more often than my own mansion! He often drags me along to his missions, only to leave me alone at the tea table with all these big-bad-Bosses, telling _me_ to be a good _kid_ and behave while _daddy_ went off to clean the place. Do you know how much I want to shoot him to death the longer his laughter got on my nerves? I swear he's testing my patience!"

"Wao," Hibari smirked, "Can I bite you to death now?"

"No." Tsuna rejected, "I am too dissatisfied with you to indulge any of your demands now."

An eyebrow arched, "And _that_ concerns _me_ how?"

"Because today is my birthday!" Tsuna declared mightily in explanation for everything.

"And?"

"Have you any idea how long since I've last seen you?" Tsuna demanded bossily.

"Since the week before my birthday to today, your birthday." Hibari responded nonchalantly.

"That's it!" Tsuna snapped, "I'm buying a gold cage and lock you inside until I'm through with you!"

Hibari's smirk widened, "That idea had resulted well _last_ time, hm?"

"As I thought," Tsuna remarked emotionlessly, his earlier dramatic demeanor gone, "You _remember_." He lifted his hand from Hibari's eyes.

He looked identical to the one in the memory of his future self, this Sawada Tsunayoshi. But what was it he couldn't place his finger on? Hibari frowned. No, this one was a little different.

"You can't ask about the future, and you can't ask about us, either, or we will stop thinking about our own future." Tsuna closed his eyes with a sigh. "That's why only those who didn't get transferred to that future received the memory of our fight against Byakuran."

"Judging by your rules this time, I presume you are _pleased_ with what you have now." Hibari surmised.

Tsuna smiled. Pink smoke surrounded him, in his place the current Sawada Tsunayoshi appeared, still sleeping and falling forward by the position his future-self had left earlier. Hibari's eyes widened in surprise, reflexively rolled away and off the brunet's lap before their heads collided.

"Ouch!" Tsuna groaned and rubbed his sore forehead, where it had hit the wooden floor. Wood? He sluggishly knocked his knuckles on the floor several times to be sure, not wanting to wake up yet. Definitely wood. Why? And it was cold. Too COLD! Where was his blanket?! Tsuna opened his eyes, looking around for his blanket frantically— "HIIII! WHERE AM I?!" He grabbed his head in horror, not recognized the traditional Japanese house he was in belonged to anyone he knew. He couldn't have sleep-walking in someone's house, could he?!

"… Sawada Tsunayoshi…"

Tsuna stilled and gulped fearfully, realizing the owner of that very menacing voice breathing down his neck like that of a reaper. _Oh Gods… please have mercy…_

Inside Hibari was grinning like a cat that got the cream.

.

.

.

In a certain Sawada household, Reborn went back to sleep with a dark smirk. He would train Tsuna to become _that_ one, definitely. It had been too long since he met someone made his bloodlust raise so much. Next to him sat a letter with the Vongola symbol on the outer seal. _I can't wait, Tsuna._

.

.

.

Tsuna glanced behind his shoulder and suppressed a shiver before he looked back in the front on time to dodge Hibari's chain wiped pass his cheek, flew out of the way when Roll started propagating from his sides.

"You are distracted," Hibari observed, retracted his chains and lowered his tonfas.

"I suddenly have a very bad feeling…" Tsuna murmured uncertainly, landed next to his Cloud Guardian, the flame on his forehead died out. At the other male's blank stare, he frowned, looking for the right words, "… like every time Reborn is planning something…"

"Mi~dori~ tana~biku~ Namimori no~" Hibird flew in and perched on Hibari's forefinger when the later raised his hand for him.

"You are going to be late for school." Hibari told the shorter male.

Tsuna blinked, looking between the bird and its owner, slowly registered what was said. His eyes widened before he shrieked, "HIIIIII!" Flame flared on his forehead and he flew home at breakneck speed.

"Wao."

* * *

_Hm, interesting_. Reborn watched them in secretive when they thought no one was looking. If Tsuna had been smiling and grinning happily among his friends when they surprised him by hiding in the living room and jumped out as soon as he came in, the moment he saw _Hibari_ sitting on the rooftop, he was practically _glowing_. He had more or less confirmed their feelings, but how far along their individual progress was beyond his calculation. It seemed to be platonic at best, since Tsuna was still the blushing idiot when it came to Kyoko though the girl was oblivious as ever. And Hibari didn't appear to be any different from his usual aloof self.

Then there were these sneaking glances throwing back and forth. When their eyes met, Tsuna hastily looked away, appeared more awkward than embarrassed about getting caught by Hibari. Maybe he was reading too much into it where there was nothing to begin with? Because, there was the other profuse example when Tsuna caught Haru's eyeing him, the girl immediately flushed to the root of her hair and shied away from his questioning gaze for a while, or until his attention was elsewhere.

The mixed signal came up when Chrome kissed Tsuna on the cheek as she gave him his present and whispered "Happy Birthday, Boss," in his ear. Tsuna blushed, stuttering his thank to her over the protesting screams of Gokudera and Haru on the background. He noticed a slight twitch on Hibari's brow, and Mukuro's laughter under his breath, so softly it almost got washed away by the commotion.

It didn't happen until after his announcement that Tsuna was leaving for Italy as soon as he graduated from Namimori Middle. He had decided to personally take care of Tsuna's studying instead of waiting for him to go up the grades like now. First thing it was taking too long, the second thing was for several of his personal reasons that involve Tsuna. Nono had sent him a letter asking about his thought on Tsuna's schooling progress and he was not happy at the rate like now. It was not about Tsuna being _Dame-_ Tsuna anymore, it was because Tsuna could take more than what he was taught at school due to his recent development regarding him going into Hyper Dying Will mode at will. Of course Tsuna didn't mean to take advantage of it and his forehead didn't suddenly ignite flame while he was in class, it was just the sign his normal self was in harmony with the flame he was born with more than before. He felt bad for taking the normal life away from Tsuna too soon, but Tsuna had already become the Boss of his own generation. Even if Tsuna wasn't still vehemently refusing, Reborn doubted he would do any different. Maybe Colonello was right, he should inspect his own feeling when Tsuna was concerned than measuring Tsuna's relationship with the others.

Tsuna had fought, fought him hard. He expected the reaction, but didn't anticipate this level of ferocity and _animosity_. Tsuna wasn't yelling at him for being unreasonable, instead, he asked calmly if he could destroy Vongola as soon as Reborn was done educating him in Italy, because it was the reason he _had to_ leave Namimori. By that, Tsuna had questioned him if he would choose Nono and his Vongola, or Tsuna himself. He had answered Tsuna the same thing Primo told him in his Vongola Trial, to do whatever he wanted with Vongola.

Tsuna approached Mukuro then. But before Reborn could read their lips, the Mist Guardian had shrouded them both in his own illusion, taking them away from the normal eyes.

* * *

"Kufufu, that Arcobaleno is getting on my nerves. I hope you don't mind, Vongola." Mukuro said, sitting on the grass field similar to the scenery in their dreams.

Tsuna shook his head and sat down next to the other. "He had been very quiet I was worried earlier. At first I thought he came up with that idea on another whim but by his demeanor tonight, I knew he had given it some serious thoughts. Announced it like this also means he is asking everyone to choose."

"Oh?" Mukuro feigned a smile.

"Mukuro, you accepted to become Vongola Mist Guardian was because your real body had been imprisoned and my dad promised to protect your friends right? Now you are free so there is no need for you to work with the Vongola anymore."

"Are you renouncing me, Vongola?" Mukuro asked monotonously.

"Yes," Tsuna replied, turned to look at the heterochromatic eyes narrowed at him, "Because you don't need Vongola anymore."

Mismatch coloring eyes widened.

"We all saw it when we fought against the Simon family, Giotto-san's memory of when he created Vongola. It was not the current Vongola and nowhere relatively looked like a Mafia Famiglia. I admire Giotto-san and want to create my own Vongola." Tsuna stared at his hands, clenching and unclenching then curled them into fists. "I am going to destroy the Vongola that used to act like the Estraneo Family and all the terrible things I had seen through the previous Bosses' memories. I'll be the last Boss of this Vongola."

Mukuro wanted to laugh at the hilarity of this child's idea, but… He put his hand on Tsuna's head, the corner of his mouth curled up.

Tsuna looked up at the sudden touch, his eyes widened at the smile directing at him. It was not same as the usual arrogant smirks, this one made this person beside him look more on the kind side than anything else.

"You are interesting. I guess I'm sticking around a little longer to see how you'll go about it." At Tsuna's brighten expression, Mukuro added, "Besides, if I use the name Vongola to provide temporary replacement for internal organs, I can drain any Famiglia in no time since that Arcobaleno from Varia had set an example."

"That's too expensive!" Tsuna shouted in exasperation, remembering Mammon's ridiculous price for Byakuran's organ.

Mukuro shrugged uncaringly, adopted his usual condescending tone again, "What are you talking about? I am providing for Chrome, Ken, Chikusa, M.M., and recently Flan all by myself. Of course my service can't be cheap or they all are going to die from starvation."

 _You are talking like a loan shark!_ Tsuna screamed in his mind.

"And you!" Mukuro pointed his finger at Tsuna's face, causing the brunet to recoil at his intimidating glare, "I can't charge you because Chrome will hate me, so I will have to make do with your meager paychecks while taxing something else! You are in no position to harass me about being expensive!"

 _Harass you?!_ Tsuna looked away and muttered sullenly, "Uh… thank you very much?"

"Your attitude doesn't sit well with me. Show me your _gratitude_ by getting on your knees and kiss my toes!" Mukuro demanded, standing up with his hands on his hips and stared Tsuna down.

Tsuna also stood, facing Mukuro and raised his hand palm up. "Stab me."

Lips parted slightly but Mukuro caught his surprise gasp on time.

"If I make a contract with you, then you can kill me whenever you feel like I'm going to become what you detest most."

Mukuro closed his eyes and breathed out. He put a hand on the back of the brunet head and drew Tsuna to him, propped his chin on top of the fluffy hair to hide his smile. "Have I not told you before, I already decided to trust you, _Tsunayoshi_."

Tsuna was smiling. "I can't give you any paycheck now."

"Kufufu, you still have your underdevelop—"

"Don't start that."

* * *

There was hostile lightning sizzling in the air when Mukuro and Hibari glared each other down as soon as the former returned with Tsuna. It didn't take long for the others to realize the birthday boy was missing, because of the obvious.

Instead of Chrome who was closer to Mukuro than everyone presented, Hibari sensed exactly where they would reappear first, because he had been glowering at the spot long before Chrome looking in the same direction.

The event after Gokudera settled down (since screaming at the top of his lungs was completely ignored by the man he had been screaming at for kidnapping his beloved Juudaime), was the continuous of where they left from earlier. Gokudera originally from Italy, so if Tsuna was going to leave Namimori, he had no reason to stay. The same with Lambo. However, Tsuna didn't let Ryohei and Yamamoto choose between himself and their family still in Namimori, so the two didn't object him when he told them to stay but they didn't appear to be happy about that either.

Now Tsuna went out to the veranda, where Hibari sat by himself away from the crowd staring at the small garden.

"Hibari-sa—"

"Come." Hibari stood, walked over to the wall and jumped outside.

Tsuna hesitantly looked over his shoulder to the group still chattering between themselves. He saw Mukuro looking at him and motioned with his eyes to go after Hibari. He nodded his thank and ran out of the house.

When Reborn shot Mukuro a displeased look, the heterochromatic eyes male only shrugged him off. Well, since their future Boss relieved him of their former contract in which he became Vongola Mist Guardian in exchange for the protection of the Kokuyo gang, he had no reason to answer any of them now.

* * *

"That Baby has been watching the whole night." Hibari told Tsuna as soon as he saw the brunet, sitting on his motorbike with a look could only be described as annoyance in his face.

"You noticed too…" Tsuna said lamely.

Hibari grunted dismissively, "Unlike those herbivores, I am not an idiot." He threw a helmet to Tsuna, "Come on."

"Hibari-san…" Tsuna whispered uncertainly, tightened the circle of his arms around Hibari's mid-section as they sped away, "Do you have a license?" He wouldn't dare to ask Hibari that if the wind wasn't so loud it howled over his voice, and the likelihood of Hibari hearing him was very low. But, this was strange. Even if Hibari didn't have a license and driving at a reckless speed like now, Tsuna still trusted him with his life without second thought.

Hibari parked when they arrived at a more seclude part of Namimori where mountain on one side and the ocean on the other side of the road. The raven sat cross legs on a curb dangerously perching on the cliff's edge, one slip could cause his life to be swallowed in the maws of the angry waves roaring below.

"Hibari-san…" Tsuna called anxiously. Thousand and one reasons came to his mind as to why there was no Hibari in that five minutes in the future he had visited months ago.

"Why have you let me take you here away from the other herbivores?" Hibari questioned, not waiting for answer, he continued, "Why did you cling onto me while you are fully capable of taking care of yourself with those flames of yours?"

"I trust Hibari-san." Tsuna told him, gripping his hands.

"Why?"

"When I am with you, I feel like everything will definitely be fine."

Silver eyes widened at that. _"When I am with you, I feel like everything will definitely be fine."_ The older voice of the same brunet from distance future that had long passed resounded in his ears. Hibari lowered his head, bang covered his eyes. "How about if I am not with you?"

"I don't want that!" Tsuna shouted at Hibari's back. "I had been searching but I couldn't find any sign of you ever being there or anywhere at all. No picture, no name, nothing! As if you have never been there to begin with! I don't want any of that!" He shook his head in hysteria.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I've had enough with you herbivores and leave?"

Tsuna gripped his hands, fearing the obvious answer. "Have you, Hibari-san?"

"Yes."

It hurt, hearing that directly than the time Reborn told him Hibari got hives from associating with them for too long. But he couldn't ask anything of Hibari, could he? After all, what was Hibari's reason to become Vongola Cloud Guardian? He wasn't even the one asking him, or anyone else in the matter. Everything was decided by Reborn and his dad. Nothing, none of the Vongola Guardians ever be his choice. Even Reborn came knocking at his door to become his home-tutor was not his choice. That was why he didn't have any say in everyone's decision…

"You are having that same boring look again." Hibari now sat facing him, staring at him. "What exactly do you think you can understand within five minutes of running around like an idiot in the future?"

"I…" Tsuna bit his bottom lip, unable to answer.

"Hadn't the first future taught you anything?" Hibari stood, closed the distance between them in one long stride and put a hand on Tsuna's cheek to lift his face so they were eye to eye, "When you wake up in a world you don't understand, you readily believe in what you see and what people tell you about it. You chased after Irie Shoichi with the clues Gokudera Hayato left for you, only to find out that was the plan of your future self and the red hair herbivore along with my future self to take down Byakuran."

"Then…" Tsuna spoke softly, hope raising in him.

"You will go doing what you want to do. And I will do what I want to do."

"What do you want to do, Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked curiously.

"This may take time, but by then," Hibari directed his gaze upward at the night sky, "I'll be the only one can bite you to death."

* * *

The Vongola Mansion, ten years later.

"Damn! Shit! And every hell in between!" Gokudera cursed under his breath as he peeked at the kitchen from a corner away. "Chrome is in there by herself."

"This is fatal to the extreme!" Ryohei whispered beside him, also flattened himself against the wall.

"I wish I can go back to Namimori and visit my dad." Yamamoto forced a strain smile but his voice was shaking with trepidation.

"She's even singing _'Bring me to Life'_ while baking cake for our early death." Mammon muttered.

"Vooooiiiiiii, someone gets the hell in there and murders that woman before she cake-poisons us all!" Squalo hissed, only keeping his voice down for this kind of situation.

"Ushishishi, the prince is leaving on a vacation now—"

"Bel-sempai, the scariest Boss told our lazy Boss that if anyone doesn't eat the cake Chrome-nee makes for his birthday with him, he will dump his entire paperwork on that person until the next time his birthday comes around." Flan cut him off monotonously.

"Che…" Belphegor clicked his tongue.

"Alright, lets man up and say 'no' to the paperwork by eating the damn cake!" Lambo suggested tearfully, on the receiving end of Chrome's cooking for years.

"Ossu! Let's eat the cake and be a man to the EXTREME!" Ryohei yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Oh~! You are so manly, Ryo-chan~!" Lussuria put his hands on his cheeks and swayed where he was, batting his eyelashes at the Sun Guardian.

"I think I'm gonna puke…" The group grumbled.

"What the hell are you trashes doing here?"

"Xanxus/Boss!" The Guardians and Varia exclaimed in alarm.

"Get the fuck out of my way!" Xanxus snarled at them, kicked Levi away from his boots and pulled out his guns in the ready to fire, "Do you think this Xanxus-sama would eat that sorry excuse of a ca—!"

"Oh, everyone is here," Tsuna said behind him, smiling brightly.

"BOSS!" The Guardians and Varia, minus Xanxus, screamed in terror.

A half-dead Mukuro dragging himself behind Tsuna, black rings circled his eyes from sleepless days and nights of doing Tsuna's paperwork for nearly half a year now (as punishment for pulling a prank on Tsuna). The onlookers visibly cringed at his current state, Xanxus was a bit subtler.

Tsuna clapped his hands once in glee. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's eat my birthday cake together!"

In comparison with Tsuna's megawatt smile, his words were like death sentence descended on the heads of those who presented.

"J—Juudaime," Gokudera scratched his cheek with a finger, stretching his smile, "Reborn-san has not returned yet and another one is missing still…"

 _Nice stalling, Gokudera!_ The others urged him on in their heads.

"Ah, don't worry about Reborn. He's out hunting, last minute errand for me." Tsuna's smiled disappeared as his poker face returned, "And the last one will be home late, no need to wait."

_DAMN THEM!_

* * *

** Omake **

"It will be troublesome fighting without the Vongola Ring." Hibari said with a sigh.

Tsuna looked down, his fingers stopped their random circles in the short raven hair. "Why?"

Hibari raised his hand, "Give me any Cloud Ring."

Tsuna blinked, tilted his head, and put an A-rank Cloud Ring on Hibari's middle finger. As soon as his hand moved away, Cloud flame ignited on the ring and it shattered, reduced to nothing.

"… I see," Tsuna observed solemnly, "Your flame pressure is too strong. It would certainly put you at disadvantage when you run out of rings in battles." He felt Hibari's head shifted in his lap as the man nodded. They lapsed into silence, each with their own thought. "I didn't know you are so pissed at me that none of the rings could withstand it!" Tsuna cried dramatically, covered his face with his hands.

Hibari's eye twitched, grinding his tonfa under Tsuna's chin threateningly for attempting humor at time like this. "Shut up, or I'll bite you to death!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone will ask, this chapter hinted that the place Tsuna couldn't find Hibari when he was transferred to the future in previous chapter is the Varia HQ. There is no Cloud Guardian in the Varia, they have two Mist Guardians (Mammon and Flan) instead.
> 
> I've decided to end this one here and I am planning its sequel with a T-rate continuous story. The reason is because the K+ rating is not suitable for later events, and how about just change the rating from K+ to T? I'm still considering it.
> 
> Many thanks to everyone who have been giving kudos and bookmarks. Special thanks to my reviewers who had taken time to let me know your thought, I love all of them.
> 
> Again thank you for reading my story and see you around,
> 
> Asuka K.

**Author's Note:**

> Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn © Amano Akira


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